Spark Plasma Sintering Treatment for Introduction of Oxygen Vacancy in Pt Dispersed SrTiO3 for Increasing Photocatalytic Water Splitting Activity

Abstract Spark plasma sintering (SPS) treatment was studied for Pt dispersed SrTiO 3 as photocatalytic water splitting catalyst. The oxygen vacancy was introduced by SPS treatment and it was found that H 2 formation rate was increased by SPS treatment since large amount of oxygen vacancy was introduced. H 2 formation rate became the highest (6.15 mmol h −1 g −1 ) at 2.5 wt% Pt dispersed on SrTiO 3 and this H 2 formation rate was almost double of Pt loaded SrTiO 3 and O 2 formation rate was also much increased (5.66 mmol h −1 g −1 ). ESR measurement suggests that amount of Ti 3+ was intense after SPS treatment with 2.5 wt% Pt. Therefore, it seems that the oxygen vacancy introduced by SPS treatment effectively worked for charge separation and photocatalytic activity of SrTiO 3 to water splitting was increased.