Selective-synthesis of high-performance single-crystalline Sr ₂Nb₂O₇ nanoribbon and SrNb₂O ₆ nanorod photocatalysts

Taking selective-synthesis of ID single-crystalline Sr₂Nb ₂O₇ nanoribbons and SrNb₂O₆ nanorods as an example, we demonstrated a general approach to synthesize niobium-contained nanostructured photocatalysts via a facile hydrothermal process. This method is based on reactions between soluble/insoluble metallic compounds and metallic oxide in the aqueous solution without using any organic dispersants or capping agents. The one-step technique is controllable and provides a simple, convenient, and innovative strategy for the preparation of niobate nanostructures and basically can be easily expanded to synthesize other materials with similar structure. Our results indicate that these as-synthesized ID niobate nanostructures with larger BET surface areas possess higher photocatalytic activities for splitting pure water under UV light irradiation than those samples from the solid-state route.