Glycine–nitrate-based solution-combustion synthesis of SrTiO3

• SrTiO3 nanoparticles were synthesized via solution combustion synthesis.
• The effects of the fuel ratio and HNO3 washing were investigated.
• The photocatalytic activity was improved by HNO3 washing.

In this paper, we describe the glycine–nitrate-based solution combustion synthesis of SrTiO3 nanoparticles. The effects of the fuel ratio, φ, and washing treatment by HNO3 on the size, morphology, and crystalline structure of the synthesized particles were investigated. The photocatalytic activity of the final samples was also evaluated by measuring the photodegradation of methylene blue. The samples, which were calcined at 1000 °C for 10 h after combustion synthesis, were mainly SrTiO3. When φ was increased, the number of pores in the sample was increased because of the increase in volume of ejected gas. Additionally, the initial particle size decreased with increasing φ because glycine functioned not only as a fuel but also as a dispersant and stabilizer. After washing in a HNO3 solution, the porous structure decomposed to particles with high crystalline structure. The photocatalytic activity of SrTiO3 was significantly improved by HNO3 washing owing to the elimination of impurities, the increase in surface area, and the uncovering of the surface that consisted of (100) planes.

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