Synthesis, characterization and photocatalytic activity of nano sized undoped and Ga doped SrTi0.7Fe0.3O3 for 2,4,6-trichlorophenol photodegradation

Abstract Nano-sized SrTiO 3 and Sr(Ti 0.7 Fe 0.3 ) (1−x) Ga x O 3 system were prepared by the complex route precursor method (x = 0, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1). The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, XPS and UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The effect of doping on the structural properties and the photocatalytic activity was studied. The average crystallite size of the prepared samples was in the range of 32–60 nm. The performances of synthesized SrTiO 3 and Sr(Ti 0.7 Fe 0.3 ) (1−x) Ga x O 3 system for the efficient degradation of trichlorophenol (TCP) as a water contaminant model have been demonstrated. After 1 mol% Ga doping of SrTi 0.7 Fe 0.3 O 3 , UV–vis absorption was appeared the red-shift at 812 nm from 392 nm as compared with naked SrTiO 3 . The photocatalytic degradation activity of 1 mol% Ga doped SrTi 0.7 Fe 0.3 O 3 was significantly improved to 91% degradation of TCP in 90 min under visible light, which is approximately 14 times higher than that of the bare SrTiO 3 and 4 times than undoped SrTi 0.7 Fe 0.3 O 3 .