Visible light photocatalytic properties of Ta and N codoped SrTiO ₃ nanoparticles

Ta and N co-doped SrTiO₃ was synthesized by microwave-assisted solvothermal reaction using SrCl₂·6H₂O, Ti(OC ₃H₇)₄, TaCl₅, and HMT (hexamethylenetetramine) in KOH and oleic acid mixed solutions. The products were characterized by XRD, TG-DTA, BET surface area measurement, TEM, EDX, DRS, PL-Spectra, and XPS. The nanoparticles of perovskite-type SrTi _1-xTa_xO_3-yN_y (x = 0 - 0.1) were successfully synthesized. The photocatalytic activity of SrTiO₃ for DeNO_xability in the visible light region could be improved by the codoping of Ta⁵⁺ and N^3-. The excellent visible light photocatalytic activity of this substance may be due to the generation of a new band gap by doping nitrogen that enables the absorption of visible light as well as a decrease in the incidence of the lattice defects, which acts as a recombination center of photo-induced electrons and holes by codoping with Ta⁵⁺.