Structural and photocatalytic performance of (Ba,Ca)TiO3-Ba(Sn,Ti)O3 ferroelectric ceramics

(1−x)(Ba0.9Ca0.1)TiO3-xBa(Sn0.2Ti0.8)O3((1−x)BCT-xBST) ceramics, where x = 0, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6, were synthesized by using conventional solid state reaction method. Photocatalytic degradation of synthetic dye Methyl Orange (MO) using (1−x)BCT-xBST ceramics revealed improved photocatalytic activity in Sn doped samples as compared to BCT sample, under visible light illumination. Addition of Sn in (1−x)BCT-xBST ceramics led the band-gap shift towards red. The effect of different charge-trapping agents on photocatalytic degradation was examined to study the effect of active species and the degradation pathway. The maximum H2 production was observed as 450 μmol eg−1 for (1−x)BCT-xBST (x = 0.6).