Synthesis of a tailored SrTiO3–TiO2 microspherical photocatalyst and its photogenerated charge properties

Abstract

A series of SrTiO₃–TiO₂ microspheres with different porosities were prepared by a facile hydrothermal reaction method in the presence of Sr(OH)₂ and titanium glycolate. The photogenerated charge separation and surface trapping process was studied by surface photovoltage (SPV) spectra and corresponding phase spectra. Compared with one-dimension nanowires, the SrTiO₃–TiO₂ microspheres show structural advantage in photocatalytic degradation under visible-light. The enhanced photocurrent of Rhodamine B (RhB) sensitized SrTiO₃–TiO₂ porous microspheres reveals that a photosensitization effect leads to the photodegradation process. According to the experimental results, these SrTiO₃–TiO₂ porous microspheres have great potential applications in photocatalytic decomposition or optoelectronic devices.