Microwave-assisted rapid synthesis and photocatalytic activity of mesoporous Nd-doped SrTiO3 nanospheres and nanoplates

Jian-Qiang Zheng,Ying-Jie Zhu,Jing-San Xu,Bing-Qiang Lu,Chao Qi,Feng Chen,Jin Wu

doi:10.1016/j.matlet.2013.02.107

Jian-Qiang Zheng, Ying-Jie Zhu + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2013.02.107

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Abstract

Mesoporous Nd-doped SrTiO3 nanospheres and nanoplates with high specific surface areas have been successfully synthesized using tetra-n-butyl titanate, Sr(NO3)2, Nd(NO3)3 and NaOH in mixed solvents of ethylene glycol and deionized water by a rapid microwave-assisted solvothermal method at 200°C for 10min. Mesoporous Nd-doped SrTiO3 nanospheres are obtained at lower concentrations of the reactants. However, the product undergoes a dramatic morphological change from nanosphere to nanoplate when the concentrations of the reactants are increased. The photocatalytic activities of the samples for the degradation of methylene blue under simulated solar light irradiation (λ>290nm) and visible light irradiation (λ>420nm) are also evaluated. Both the mesoporous Nd-doped SrTiO3 nanospheres and nanoplates show higher photocatalytic activities than that of the commercial TiO2 (P25) under visible light irradiation.

Highlights

Along with the rapid advancement of heavy industrialization, environmental pollution and excessive nonrenewable energy consumption have emerged as global issues [1,2]
Correlating these XRD results, it could be deduced that a few V ions were likely incorporated into the SrTiO3 lattice which induced the expansion of the SrTiO3 lattice
The photocatalytic activity of pure and V-doped SrTiO3 porous nanofibers were evaluated by the decomposition of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous solution under UV–vis light irradiation

Summary

Introduction

Along with the rapid advancement of heavy industrialization, environmental pollution and excessive nonrenewable energy consumption have emerged as global issues [1,2]. The photodegradation measurement indicates that V-doped, SrTiO3 porous nanofibers show an enhanced photocatalytic activity with excellent endurance. Using the Debye–Scherrer equation [26], the average grain size of pure and V-doped SrTiO3 porous nanofibers were calculated to be about 20.4 and 21.8 nm, respectively.

Results

Conclusion