Influence of Metal Oxide Particles on Bandgap of 1D Photocatalysts Based on SrTiO₃/PAN Fibers

This paper deals with the study of the optical properties of one-dimensional SrTiO₃/PAN-based photocatalysts with the addition of metal oxide particles and the determination of their bandgaps. One-dimensional photocatalysts were obtained by the electrospinning method. Particles of metals such as iron, chromium, and copper were used as additives that are capable of improving the fibers' photocatalytic properties based on SrTiO₃/PAN. The optimal ratios of the solutions for the electrospinning of fibers based on SrTiO₃/PAN with the addition of metal oxide particles were determined. The transmission and reflection of composite photocatalysts with metal oxide particles were measured in a wide range of spectra, from the ultraviolet region (185 nm) to near-infrared radiation (3600 nm), to determine the values of their bandgaps. Thus, the introduction of metal oxide particles resulted in a decrease in the bandgaps of the obtained composite photocatalysts compared to the initial SrTiO₃/PAN (3.57 eV), with the following values: -3.11 eV for SrTiO₃/PAN/Fe₂O₃, -2.84 eV for SrTiO₃/PAN/CuO, and -2.89 eV for SrTiO₃/PAN/Cr₂O₃. The obtained composite photocatalysts were tested for the production of hydrogen by the splitting of water-methanol mixtures under UV irradiation, and the following rates of hydrogen evolution were determined: 344.67 µmol h^-1 g^-1 for SrTiO₃/PAN/Fe₂O₃, 398.93 µmol h^-1 g^-1 for SrTiO₃/PAN/Cr₂O₃, and 420.82 µmol h^-1 g^-1 for SrTiO₃/PAN/CuO.