Porous Cube-Like SrTiO3 Particles Self-Assembled by Primary Nanocubes with Enhanced Photodegradation Performance

Solar-light-responsive strontium titanate (SrTiO₃) samples with excellent specific surface area are synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process. The as-prepared samples are inspected by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to illustrate the crystalline phase and particle morphology. The SrTiO₃ particles are characterized by the three-dimensional (3D) assembly of numerous highly oriented nanocubes according to oriented attachment and Ostwald ripening, thereby displaying a porous cube-like structure. By adjusting the reaction time, the morphology can be continuously tuned from a cube structure to irregular shape, then to a porous cube-like structure. Owing to the large specific surface area with highly active reaction sites, as well as the high utilization of light arising from reflections in the porous structure, the porous cube-like SrTiO₃ particles exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to their cubic counterparts for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. Impressively, the rhodamine B (RhB) degradation rate for the porous cube-like SrTiO₃ particles can reach 96% after reaction for 6 h.