Comparable electrocatalytic performances of carbon- and Rh-loaded SrTiO 3 nanoparticles

Carbon- and Rh-loaded strontium titanate (SrTiO3) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized respectively by the wet impregnation method and the aerobic and anaerobic ethanol oxidation methods, and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction crystallography, UV–vis absorption, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Carbon was shown to be uniformly coated on SrTiO3 NPs by the aerobic and anaerobic ethanol oxidation methods Electrocatalytic activities of unmodified and modified SrTiO3 NPs were tested for water splitting and CO2 reduction. The aerobic C-coated and Rh-loaded SrTiO3 catalysts showed comparable activity that was increased by >10-fold of that of unmodified SrTiO3 catalyst. These results demonstrate that both metallic and nonmetallic surface modifications can highly improve the electrocatalytic activity of SrTiO3 NPs and point to highlight a more important role of the modifier in the electrocatalytic reactions than of the SrTiO3 structure.