Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Rambutan‐like ZnO@SrTiO ₃ /TiO ₂ Microsphere

Abstract

Abstract Designing gradient energy levels is an effective method to improve the photocatalytic performance of the semiconductor materials. In this work, we propose a core‐shell structured material with micro‐sized spherical SrTiO 3 /TiO 2 (abbreviated as SrT) as the core material, and the rod‐shaped ZnO shell attaching on the surface of SrT, which forms a hierarchical spherical composite with rambutan‐like shape. During the synthesis process, ZnO seeds are coated on the surface of SrT microspheres firstly, and then they transfer to nanorods with a diameter of 60–70 nm and a length of less than 100 nm under the growth solution medium at 90 °C with the volume ratio of zinc nitrate to hexamethylenetetramine (abbreviated as HMT) is 1 : 1 and the concentration is 0.05 mol/L. This structure may further facilitate the separation of the photo‐generated electron‐hole pairs and widen the photocatalytic applications of perovskite structured SrTiO 3 or anatase structured TiO 2 with visible excitation response.