LAUSR

Photocatalysis is an effective method to control the environmental pollution. In this study, the SnO2/GO composites were successfully prepared by ultrasound method to improve the photocatalytic activities of SnO2. The physical and photophysical properties of the as-prepared SnO2/GO samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, field emission on scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission spectroscopy and Raman experiments. The photocatalytic activities of these composites were evaluated by decomposing organic pollutants under UV light irradiation. The degradation rate of the SnO2/1.0 wt%GO photocatalyst is about 2 times that of the pure SnO2. Then the pure SnO2 and the SnO2/1.0 wt%GO photocatalysts were used in fluorocarbon resin (PEVE) coatings to sterilize the bacterial of the seawater. According to the results, the sterilization rate of the SnO2/1.0GO/PEVE coating is about 2.5 times that of the pure PEVE coating. The high photocatalytic sterilization activity of the SnO2/GO is attributed to its high electron–hole separation efficiency. This work provides a new approach to address marine biofouling problems.