Characteristics and Photocatalytic Performance of Coprecipitation Praseodymium (Pr)-doped Strontium Titanate for Methylene Blue Degradation

Authors

  • Salsa Nurul Khoiria Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
  • Dianisa Khoirum Sandi Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Semarang, Semarang 50275, Indonesia
  • Fahru Nurosyid Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
  • Risa Suryana Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia
  • Yofentina Iriani Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55981/jsmi.2026.13450

Keywords:

strontium titanate, praseodymium doping, photocatalyst, mb dye, Photodegradation

Abstract

Strontium titanate (SrTiO₃ or STO) is a perovskite material with promising photocatalytic properties for wastewater degradation. Doping with rare-earth elements such as praseodymium (Pr) can enhance its performance by modifying structural and electronic characteristics. In this study, Pr-doped STO (Sr1-xPrxTiO3, x = 0%, 2%, and 4%) was synthesized via the coprecipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed a single-phase perovskite structure with high crystallinity, while Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) analysis verified the formation of Sr–Ti–O bonds. Particle size analysis (PSA) and surface area analysis (SAA) with the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method revealed that higher Pr concentrations reduced particle size and increased surface area. Photocatalytic activity was evaluated using methylene blue (MB) degradation under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation for up to 5 hours. The Sr0.98Pr0.02TiO3 sample exhibited the best performance, achieving 73.08% MB degradation after 5 hours, demonstrating the effectiveness of moderate Pr doping in enhancing photocatalytic activity

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] I. Jerin, M. A. Rahman, A. H. Khan, and M. M. Hossain, "Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light using carbon-doped titanium dioxide as photocatalyst," Desalination and Water Treatment, vol. 320, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100711

[2] A. Syoufian and R. Kurniawan, "Visible-Light-Induced Photodegradation of Methylene Blue Using Mn,N-codoped ZrTiO4 as Photocatalyst," Indonesian Journal of Chemistry, vol. 23, no. 3, 2023. doi: 10.22146/ijc.79261

[3] N. P. Rini, N. I. Istiqomah, Sunarta, and E. Suharyadi, "Enhancing photodegradation of methylene blue and reusability using CoO/ZnO composite nanoparticles," Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, vol. 7, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.cscee.2023.100301

[4] H. Shukla, R. Gautam, Sushma, and N. Kumari, "A comprehensive review: Photodegradation of dyes with rare earth doped metal oxide nanoparticles for wastewater treatment," Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, vol. 200, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.jpcs.2025.112593

[5] S. Khan, T. Noor, N. Iqbal, and L. Yaqoob, "Photocatalytic Dye Degradation from Textile Wastewater: A Review," ACS Omega, vol. 9, no. 20, pp. 21751-21767, May 21, 2024. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c00887 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38799325

[6] S. Mehra et al., "Development of visible light-driven SrTiO3 photocatalysts for the degradation of organic pollutants for waste-water treatment: Contrasting behavior of MB & MO dyes," Optical Materials, vol. 136, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.optmat.2022.113344

[7] P. C. Paul, D. K. Mahato, and M. Mahato, "Fe-doped SrTiO3 perovskites: exploring their applications in photocatalytic dye degradation and supercapacitors," Frontiers of Materials Science, vol. 19, no. 2, 2025. doi: 10.1007/s11706-025-0719-y

[8] U. Abdikarimova et al., "Visible Light-Driven Photocatalysis of Al-Doped SrTiO(3): Experimental and DFT Study," Molecules, vol. 29, no. 22, Nov 12 2024. doi: 10.3390/molecules29225326 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39598715

[9] Y. Iriani, R. Afriani, D. K. Sandi, and F. Nurosyid, "Co-precipitation Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of Mndoped SrTiO3 for the Degradation of Methylene Blue Wastewater," EVERGREEN Joint Journal of Novel Carbon Resource Sciences & Green Asia Strategy, vol. 09, no. 04, pp. 1039-1045, 2022.

[10] I. Qadir, S. Singh, S. Sharma, U. Manhas, A. K. Atri, and D. Singh, "New Rare Earth-Doped Bilayered Perovskite Oxide Photocatalysts Sr(2)La(0.5)R(0.5)FeMnO(7) (R = La, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy) for the Degradation of Highly Toxic Methylene Blue Dye in Wastewater under Visible Light: Structural, Optical, and Magnetic Properties," ACS Omega, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 2010-2026, Jan 17 2023. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.2c05221 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36687044

[11] Y. Wang et al., "Enhanced photocatalytic performance of SrTiO3 powder induced by europium dopants," Journal of Rare Earths, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 541-547, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.jre.2020.07.002

[12] Y.-X. Song, W.-Q. Ma, J.-J. Chen, J. Xu, Z.-Y. Mao, and D.-J. Wang, "Photocatalytic activity of perovskite SrTiO3 catalysts doped with variable rare earth ions," Rare Metals, vol. 40, no. 5, pp. 1077-1085, 2021. doi: 10.1007/s12598-020-01674-0

[13] Q. Zhang et al., "Enhanced degradation of methylene blue by three-dimensional ordered ceria and strontium titanate composite heterojunction visible photocatalyst activated peroxymonosulfate," Journal of Materials Science, vol. 59, no. 5, pp. 1877-1895, 2024. doi: 10.1007/s10853-024-09341-w

[14] D. Doğu and K. Gürkan, "Praseodymium katkılı titanyum dioksit fotokatalizörünün metilen mavisinin bozunma reaksiyonundaki etkinliği," Gazi Üniversitesi Mühendislik Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 859-870, 2019. doi: 10.17341/gazimmfd.549084

[15] T. L. Soundarya, R. Harini, K. Manjunath, Udayabhanu, B. Nirmala, and G. Nagaraju, "Pt-doped TiO2 nanotubes as photocatalysts and electrocatalysts for enhanced photocatalytic H2 generation, electrochemical sensing, and supercapacitor applications," International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, vol. 48, no. 82, pp. 31855-31874, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2023.04.289

[16] A. Mancuso et al., "Visible light active Fe-Pr co-doped TiO2 for water pollutants degradation," Catalysis Today, vol. 380, pp. 93-104, 2021. doi: 10.1016/j.cattod.2021.04.018

[17] I. Ahmad, M. S. Akhtar, E. Ahmed, and M. Ahmad, "Facile synthesis of Pr-doped ZnO photocatalyst using sol–gel method and its visible light photocatalytic activity," Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 1084-1093, 2019. doi: 10.1007/s10854-019-02620-2

[18] S. Choudhary and S. Mohapatra, "Efficient photocatalytic degradation of antibiotic levofloxacin and organic pollutants in water by Pr doped ZnO nanorods," Chemical Physics Impact, vol. 9, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.chphi.2024.100687

[19] Y. Iriani, N. F. S. Puspita, D. K. Sandi, F. Nurosyid, R. Suryana, and D. Fasquelle, "The Improved Photocatalytic Performance of Strontium Titanate (STO) Powder Induced by Lanthanum Dopants," Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 1-10, 2023. doi: 10.22068/ijmse.3645

[20] E. Zhou, J.-M. Raulot, H. Xu, H. Hao, Z. Shen, and H. Liu, "Structural, electronic, and optical properties of rare-earth-doped SrTiO3 perovskite: A first-principles study," Physica B: Condensed Matter, vol. 643, 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.physb.2022.414160

[21] M. Shah, P. K. J. Sanam, and P. P. Pradyumnan, "Tuning of photoluminescence properties: Impact of Pr-doping in SrTiO3 crystallites," Materials Today Communications, vol. 39, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2024.109323

[22] M. Plonska and J. Plewa, "Investigation of Praseodymium Ions Dopant on 9/65/35 PLZT Ceramics' Behaviors, Prepared by the Gel-Combustion Route," Materials (Basel), vol. 16, no. 23, Dec 4 2023. doi: 10.3390/ma16237498 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38068242

[23] D. Kim, S. Gwon, K. Park, and E.-C. Jeon, "Structural and Optical Properties of SrTiO3-Based Ceramics for Energy and Electronics Applications," Crystals, vol. 14, no. 11, 2024. doi: 10.3390/cryst14110942

[24] M. M. Ravindra, R. Shirasangi, H. P. Dasari, and M. B. Saidutta, "Fabrication of praseodymium-doped ceria (PDC) films by slurry spin-coating technique and its structural, morphological and optical properties," Applied Surface Science Advances, vol. 16, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.apsadv.2023.100413

[25] M. L. Ghimire, D. L. Kunwar, J. N. Dahal, D. Neupane, S. Yoon, and S. R. Mishra, "Co-Doped Rare-Earth (La, Pr) and Co-Al Substituted M-Type Strontium Hexaferrite: Structural, Magnetic, and Mossbauer Spectroscopy Study," Materials Sciences and Applications, vol. 11, no. 07, pp. 474-493, 2020. doi: 10.4236/msa.2020.117033

[26] J. S. Punitha et al., "Influence of Pr³⁺ substitution on the structural, optical, magnetic, and dielectric properties of Sr2FeTiO6−δ double perovskites," Solid State Sciences, vol. 160, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2025.107825

[27] Y. Xu, P. Wu, M. Wu, Y. Gu, H. Yu, and Z. Ding, "Solvothermal Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Optical Properties of Pr-Doped CeO(2) and Their Degradation for Acid Orange 7," Materials (Basel), vol. 15, no. 19, Oct 7 2022. doi: 10.3390/ma15196953 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36234294

[28] K. N. Clayton, J. W. Salameh, S. T. Wereley, and T. L. Kinzer-Ursem, "Physical characterization of nanoparticle size and surface modification using particle scattering diffusometry," Biomicrofluidics, vol. 10, no. 5, p. 054107, Sep 2016. doi: 10.1063/1.4962992 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27703593

[29] J. Jeevanandam, M. Goncalves, R. Castro, J. Gallo, M. Banobre-Lopez, and J. Rodrigues, "Stabilization of metal-doped magnesium oxide nanoparticles with PAMAM dendrimers to improve alpha-amylase enzyme inhibition," Mater Today Bio, vol. 31, p. 101520, Apr 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2025.101520 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39974818

[30] A. Zindrou, P. Psathas, and Y. Deligiannakis, "Flame Spray Pyrolysis Synthesis of Vo-Rich Nano-SrTiO(3-x)," Nanomaterials (Basel), vol. 14, no. 4, Feb 11 2024. doi: 10.3390/nano14040346 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38392719

[31] I. A. Sluchinskaya, A. I. Lebedev, and A. Erko, "Crystal structure, local structure, and defect structure of Pr-doped SrTiO3," Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 112, no. 2, 2012. doi: 10.1063/1.4737586

[32] A. Jraba, J. Soli, L. El Mir, and E. Elaloui, "Improvement of properties and catalytic activity of TiO2 for the adsorption and solar photodecomposition of ibuprofen: effect of Er3+ and Pr3+ doping," Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, vol. 33, no. 18, pp. 15005-15022, 2022. doi: 10.1007/s10854-022-08418-z

[33] D. K. Bhat, U. Pi, and U. S. Shenoy, "Insights into the dopant engineering in copper-doped SrTiO3 nanocubes," Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, vol. 12, 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.hazadv.2023.100380

[34] A. M. Dehkordi, S. Bhattacharya, T. Darroudi, H. N. Alshareef, and T. M. Tritt, "New insights on the synthesis and electronic transport in bulk polycrystalline Pr-doped SrTiO3−δ," Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 117, no. 5, 2015. doi: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4905417

[35] M. Shah, S. P. K. Jamshina, and P. P. Pradyumnan, "Optimization of carrier mobility in Pr-doped SrTiO3 thin films through controlled Sr-segregation for optoelectronic applications," Surfaces and Interfaces, vol. 55, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.surfin.2024.105331

[36] C. Zhang et al., "Towards high visible light photocatalytic activity in rare earth and N co-doped SrTiO3: a first principles evaluation and prediction," RSC Advances, vol. 7, no. 27, pp. 16282-16289, 2017. doi: 10.1039/c6ra27840j

[37] W. Wang et al., "Effect of oxygen vacancies on the red emission of SrTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor films," Applied Physics Letters, vol. 94, no. 8, 2009. doi: 10.1063/1.3089814

[38] X. Ran et al., "Manipulating Oxygen Vacancy in SrTiO3 Nanoparticles to Achieve Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance in Water Splitting," ACS Applied Nano Materials, vol. 7, no. 23, pp. 27543-27554, 2024. doi: 10.1021/acsanm.4c05558

[39] M. RaeisianAsl, S. Jouybar, S. Sarabadani Tafreshi, and L. Naji, "Exploring the key features for enhanced SrTiO3 functionality: A comprehensive overview," Materials Today Sustainability, vol. 29, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101072

[40] R. Garg, A. Senyshyn, H. Boysen, and R. Ranjan, "Structure of the noncubic phase in the ferroelectric state of Pr-substitutedSrTiO3," Physical Review B, vol. 79, no. 14, 2009. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.79.144122

[41] A. Mehdizadeh Dehkordi, S. Bhattacharya, T. Darroudi, X. Zeng, H. N. Alshareef, and T. M. Tritt, "Synthesis of Non-uniformly Pr-doped SrTiO3 Ceramics and Their Thermoelectric Properties," J Vis Exp, no. 102, p. e52869, Aug 15 2015. doi: 10.3791/52869 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26327483

[42] A. Jovanoski Kostic et al., "Evaluation of Photocatalytic Performance of Nano-Sized Sr(0.9)La(0.1)TiO(3) and Sr(0.25)Ca(0.25)Na(0.25)Pr(0.25)TiO(3) Ceramic Powders for Water Purification," Nanomaterials (Basel), vol. 12, no. 23, Nov 25 2022. doi: 10.3390/nano12234193 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36500815

[43] S. S. Mohtar et al., "Impact of Doping and Additive Applications on Photocatalyst Textural Properties in Removing Organic Pollutants: A Review," Catalysts, vol. 11, no. 10, 2021. doi: 10.3390/catal11101160

[44] P.-S. Konstas, I. Konstantinou, D. Petrakis, and T. Albanis, "Development of SrTiO3 Photocatalysts with Visible Light Response Using Amino Acids as Dopant Sources for the Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Aqueous Systems," Catalysts, vol. 8, no. 11, 2018. doi: 10.3390/catal8110528

[45] Y. Ham et al., "Flux-mediated doping of SrTiO3 photocatalysts for efficient overall water splitting," Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 4, no. 8, pp. 3027-3033, 2016. doi: 10.1039/c5ta04843e

[46] T. Xie, Y. Wang, C. Liu, and L. Xu, "New Insights into Sensitization Mechanism of the Doped Ce (IV) into Strontium Titanate," Materials (Basel), vol. 11, no. 4, Apr 23 2018. doi: 10.3390/ma11040646 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29690605

[47] Y. Xu et al., "Review of doping SrTiO3 for photocatalytic applications," Bulletin of Materials Science, vol. 46, no. 1, 2022. doi: 10.1007/s12034-022-02826-x

[48] A. Jovanoski Kostic et al., "Evaluation of Photocatalytic Performance of Nano-Sized Sr(0.9)La(0.1)TiO(3) and Sr(0.25)Ca(0.25)Na(0.25)Pr(0.25)TiO(3) Ceramic Powders for Water Purification" Nanomaterials (Basel), vol. 12, no. 23, Nov 25 2022. doi: 10.3390/nano12234193 Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36500815

Downloads

Published

31-01-2026

How to Cite

Khoiria, S. N., Sandi, D. K., Nurosyid, F., Suryana, R., & Iriani, Y. (2026). Characteristics and Photocatalytic Performance of Coprecipitation Praseodymium (Pr)-doped Strontium Titanate for Methylene Blue Degradation. Jurnal Sains Materi Indonesia, 27(2), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.55981/jsmi.2026.13450

Issue

Vol. 27 No. 2 (2026): Jurnal Sains Materi Indonesia

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Salsa Nurul Khoiria, Dianisa Khoirum Sandi, Fahru Nurosyid, Risa Suryana, Yofentina Iriani

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.