Influence of Rapid Heat Treatment on the Photocatalytic Activity and Stability of Strontium Titanates against a Broad Range of Pollutants

Strontium titanate (STO) photocatalysts were prepared via a slightly modified Pechini sol–gel method. A unique rapid calcination technique with short exposure time was used to obtain crystalline products. The samples characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, infrared nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements, and photoelectron spectroscopy. Their photocatalytic activity evaluated the oxidation of phenol, oxalic acid, chlorophenol under UV light irradiation using commercial STO as reference. These pollutants, together glucose propanol, investigate stability against various functional groups. All our exhibited higher than With increasing temperature, crystallinity primary crystallite sizes increased while band gaps specific surface areas decreased. most efficient sample explained presence SrCO3 on its surface. catalysts highly stable they largely retained their composition after chemicals different Finally, we compared costs associated more conventional one found that method is ~35% cost-effective.