Photo-tribocatalysis in Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 for dye degradation

Abstract

This study investigates the catalytic performance and synergistic effect of Sr₂Bi₄Ti₅O₁₈ (SBT) powder in degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) dye through photocatalysis, tribocatalysis, and photo-tribocatalysis. The synthesized (solid-state reaction route) SBT powder was characterized using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The catalytic performance was evaluated at different stirring rates, with tribocatalysis at 600 rpm achieving approximately 92 % dye degradation within 12 h. In 90 min, photocatalysis and tribocatalysis individually degraded about 24 % and 30 % of the dye, respectively. However, the combined photo-tribocatalysis showed enhanced performance, reaching 56 % degradation within the same duration, indicating a synergistic improvement of around 19 %. Furthermore, ball milling the SBT powder for 12 h significantly enhanced its catalytic activity, achieving approximately 97 % degradation in 90 min.