Simple synthesis and characterization of SrSnO3 nanoparticles with enhanced photocatalytic activity

SrSnO3 nanoparticles with peanut-like morphologies were synthesized by a simple wet chemical reaction. These peanut-shaped SrSnO3 were formed by the fusion of two or more nanoparticles with an average size of 45 nm. The resulting powders were characterized in detail using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution from pure water was investigated under UV light irradiation. The peanut-shaped nanoparticles exhibited a much higher photocatalytic activity compared to SrSnO3 powder synthesized by a solid-state reaction. This was. attributed to their higher structural order, caused by the formation of a carbonate-free pure phase, as well as their higher surface area resulting from the decrease in the particle size, Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved,