Sr1−xBaxSnO3 system applied in the photocatalytic discoloration of an azo-dye

Semiconductor materials have received substantial attention as photocatalysts for controlling water pollution. Among these materials, perovskite-structured SrSnO3 is a promising candidate for this application, whereas BaSnO3 exhibits very low activity. In the present work, Sr1−xBaxSnO3 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1) was synthesized by solid-state reaction and was applied in the photocatalytic discoloration of the organic dye Remazol Golden Yellow. The perovskite structure was obtained for all compositions of the solid solutions with both Sr2+ and Ba2+ present in the lattice. A remarkable change in the short-range symmetry was observed as the amount of Ba2+ increased, and this change led to a decrease in the band gap of the material. Although the BaSnO3 was not active toward water photolysis, the discoloration induced by this perovskite was twice that induced by SrSnO3. The two materials appear to feature different mechanisms of photodegradation: the direct mechanism prevails in the case of BaSnO3, whereas the indirect mechanism appears to play a key role in the case of SrSnO3. [Display omitted] •Perovskite-type Sr1−xBaxSnO3 was applied in the photocatalytic degradation of an azo-dye.•BaSnO3 showed a good activity in spite of not being active for water photolysis.•Discoloration efficiency increased as Ba replaced Sr in the perovskite lattice.•Different photocatalytic mechanisms seem to be present depending on the photocatalyst.