Visible light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production using Cu-doped SrTiO₃

A new Cu-doped SrTiO₃ photocatalyst was synthesized and characterized for uses in the visible-light photocatalytic production of hydrogen from water. The photocatalytic activity was assessed based on the characterization of the photocatalysts (band gap energy, surface area, crystallinity, and morphology) and the effects of varying together the calcination temperature, the Cu:Sr mole ratio, and the photocatalyst loading amount. It was determined that the amount of hydrogen evolved was largely dictated by the amount of Cu dopant present in the photocatalysts. The created Box Behnken Design optimization scenarios suggested the conditions: 850°C, 0.01 Cu:Sr, 0.33 g loading as the optimal conditions for maximum hydrogen production holding all studied factors in range, and the conditions: 850°C, 0.01 Cu:Sr, 0.21 g loading as the optimal conditions for the maximum hydrogen production while minimizing Cu dopant and photocatalyst loading.