Solvothermal synthesis of strontium titanate nanocrystallines from metatitanic acid and photocatalytic activities

► Directly using metatitanic acid, SrTiO3 nanocrystals were solvothermally obtained. ► Growth of SrTiO3 nanocrystals was very sensitive to the volume ratio of EtOH to water. ► SrTiO3 nanocrystals exhibited better photocatalytic activity than commercial ones. ► More surface hydroxyl coverage contributed to the excellent photocatalytic activity.