Organic pollutant degradation and hydrogen production using SrTiO₃ photocatalysts

Pristine and metal-loaded mesoporous-assembled SrTi03 nanocrystal photocatalysts were successfully synthesized via the single-step sol-gel method with the aid of a structure-directing surfactant. The synthesis method provided the mesoporous-assembled SrTi03 nanocrystal photocatalysts with high purity, crystallinity, and homogeneity, as well as showed high reliability in photocatalyst reproduction. The synthesized photocatalysts were investigated their photocatalytic activity in both degradation of model organic pollutants and water splitting for hydrogen production with various hole scavengers. The results pointed out that the photocatalyst structure, in the form of a mesoporous assembly of SrTi03 nanocrystals, was found to be responsible for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of the SrTi03 photocatalysts. Some metals co-catalyst loading was found to enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity of the mesoporous assembled SrTi03-based photocatalyst. The enhancement in the photocatalytic hydrogen production activity depended on the electrochemical properties of the loaded metal type and the loading value. The 1 w t.% Au -loaded mesoporous assembled SrTi03 photocatalyst was found to be the most effective photocatalyst for the hydrogen production from the photocatalytic water splitting.