Insights into the dopant engineering in copper-doped SrTiO3 nanocubes

Abstract

In recent years, semiconductors have captivated the scientific community due to their potential to harness the abundant and sustainable energy from the sun to effectively treat water pollutants. Herein, we present combined theoretical and experimental insights into the enhanced activity of photocatalytic degradation of cationic and anionic dye viz methylene blue (100% in 90 min) and rose bengal (99.6% in 30 min) in presence of copper doped SrTiO3 catalyst. First principles density functional theory study reveals the introduction of additional states due to copper doping resulting in the decrease in the band gap making it visible light active. Experimental analysis reveals a change in the morphology from broccoli type assorted spherical particles to cubic shaped structures resulting in three times increase in the surface area as a consequence of doping copper. The adopted one pot solvothermal approach not only resulted in materials with high cyclic stability but also resulted in a versatile material, which can be applied for degradation of other dyes.