Sonocatalysis and Photocatalysis in Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 ceramics

Abstract

AbstractThe photocatalytic, sonocatalytic, and sono‐photocatalytic performances of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 (BST) ceramic (synthesized through solid‐state reaction route) were investigated for the degradation of an organic dye named methylene blue (MB). The as‐prepared BST ceramic powder was characterized using a scanning electron microscope, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The optical energy band gap of BST ceramic was found to be ∼3.17 eV. BST has shown significant catalytic activity following sonocatalysis and photocatalysis processes, i.e, ∼48% and ∼65% in 3 h, respectively. The synergic effect of the sonocatalysis and photocatalysis processes had shown an excellent degradation of 81% in 3 h. To determine the reactive species responsible for the degradation of MB dye, a scavenger test was also performed using isopropyl alcohol (IPA), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and benzoquinone (BQ) scavengers. The degree of MB dye degradation was quantified by a phytotoxicity test on “Vigna radiata” seeds. Furthermore, the potentiality of BST ceramic was explored for water cleaning applications while irradiating it to solar radiation in real‐time conditions.