The Role of the Ferroelectric Polarization in the Enhancement of the Photocatalytic Response of Copper-Doped Graphene Oxide–TiO₂ Nanotubes through the Addition of Strontium

Abstract

To evaluate the potential role of in situ formed Sr–Ti–O species as a ferroelectric component able to enhance the photocatalytic properties of an adjacent TiO2 semiconductor, Cu-doped/graphene oxide (GO)/TiO2 nanotubes (TiNTs) composites (with 0.5 wt % Cu and 1.0 wt % GO) have been synthesized while progressive amounts of strontium (up to 1.0 wt %) were incorporated at the surface of the composite through incipient wetness impregnation followed by post-thermal treatment at 400 °C. The different resulting photocatalytic systems were then first deeply characterized by means of N2 adsorption–desorption measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance (UV–vis DR), Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and Z-mapping). In a second step, optimization of the kinetic response of the Sr-containing composites was performed for the formic acid photodegradation under UV irradiation. The Sr-containing Cu/GO/TiNT composites were then fully characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for their dielectric properties showing clearly the implication of polarization induced by the Sr addition onto the stabilization of photogenerated charges. Finally, a perfect correlation between the photocatalytic kinetic evaluation and dielectric properties undoubtedly emphasizes the role of ferroelectric polarization as a very valuable approach to enhance the photocatalytic properties in an adjacent semiconductor.