Substitution of B-site in BaSb2O6 perovskite for surface lattice oxygen activation and boosted photocatalytic toluene mineralization

Perovskite oxides possess significant prospects in environment application because of their compositional versatility and controllable band structure for redox reactions. Nevertheless, low charge separation and limited reactants activation restrict their performance for practical applications. In this work, we reveal that the electronic structure of BaSb2O6 can be modulated effectively by substituting B-site cations, leading to broadened light response range and promoted carrier separation. The Ga atoms substitute the Sb atoms to form GaO bonds and enable octahedral distortion, resulting in the electron transfer from Ga atom to O atoms and realizing lattice oxygen activation. The unique electronic localization in the BaSb2O6 surface facilitates the adsorption and activation of O2, H2O, toluene and reaction intermediates, thus enhancing ROS generation for toluene mineralization. Compared with the performance of pure BaSb2O6, the photocatalytic toluene degradation and mineralization of 5 wt% Ga-BaSb2O6 are increased by 4.5 times and 4.8 times without obvious deactivation. The reported facile and valid strategy for in situ controlling of B-site in perovskite and their unique effects on the electronic structure would benefit the development of high-performance perovskites for environmental applications.