Adsorptive and photocatalytic properties of S-doped SrTiO3 under simulated solar irradiation

S-doped SrTiO3 (SSTO) nanoparticles were synthesized using the sol-gel method with Sr(NO3)2, n- Ti(OC4H9)4, and Thiourea as precursors. Several analytical techniques including XRD, SEM, BET were employed to characterize the physical properties of the product. High crystalline perovskite of SSTO powder was synthesized at 700 °C calcined temperature with the specific surface area of 20.71 m2/g. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra results of STO and 5SSTO present band gap energy of 3.2 and 2.95 eV respectively. Photocatalytic activity was determined through the photodegradation of Congo Red at the initial concentrations of 70 ppm under simulated solar irradiation using 26W mercury lamp (120V – 60Hz). The decompositions of approximately 90.4% was obtained after 210 minutes of illumination. The photocatalyst was stable in aqueous solution that its photocatalytic activity was merely reduced by 9% even after 4 reusing iterations.