Synthesis and characterization of recyclable PVA/SrTiO3/Ag2O composite with photocatalytic degradation performance of methylene blue

The recyclable polyvinyl alcohol/strontium titanate/silver oxide (PVA/SrTiO3/Ag2O) composite with photocatalytic performance is successfully synthesized using the co-precipitation and sol–gel methods. The composition, morphology and optical properties on the composites are analyzed with the X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectrophotometry and electron paramagnetic resonance. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of PVA/SrTiO3/Ag2O composite to 20 ppm methylene blue (MB) under UV light reaches 88%. The effects of the initial MB concentration and pH on the photocatalytic performance are analyzed. The recyclability of catalyst is evaluated.