Photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic properties of Eu(III)-doped perovskite SrTiO3 nanoparticles with dopant level approaches

Abstract Eu(III) ion dopant exhibits unique luminescence depending on the local dopant environment in a host matrix. In the present study, Eu(III)-doped strontium titanate (SrTiO3) nanoparticles were synthesized and their catalytic activities were demonstrated to examine the roles of dopants in photocatalytic CO2 reduction, photocatalytic organic pollutant degradation and photoelectrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction. The fundamental properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction crystallography, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, UV–visible absorption, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). CO2 reduction products were observed to be mainly methanol, CO and CH4 with minor C2 compounds. Photocatalytic dye degradation showed the order of methyl orange