Low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of SrTiO₃ photocatalysts for NO_x degradation

Abstract

SrTiO₃ is an excellent photocatalyst due to its high photocorrosion resistance and thermal stability. In this study, we synthesized SrTiO₃ nanoparticles with high specific surface areas by the hydrothermal method at reduced temperature. Titanium(IV) bis(ammonium lactato)dihydroxide (TALH) solution and strontium hydroxide octahydrate [Sr(OH)₂·8H₂O] were used as starting materials. SrTiO₃ nanoparticles were directly synthesized by hydrothermal heating at 150°C for 72–120 h. The synthesized nanoparticles had diameters of 20–40 nm, and the SrTiO₃ powder heated for 72 h exhibited the highest specific surface area of 33.1 m²/g. This sample also showed the highest degradation rate for NO gas.