Photocatalysis of WO3Nanoplates Synthesized by Conventional-Hydrothermal and Microwave-Hydrothermal Methods and of Commercial WO3Nanorods

Abstract

The degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye by tungsten oxide (WO3) photocatalyst synthesized by the 200°C conventional-hydrothermal (C-H) and 270 W microwave-hydrothermal (M-H) methods and commercial WO3was studied under UV light irradiation for 360 min. The photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectrophotometry, and UV visible spectroscopy to determine phase, morphology, vibration mode, and optical property. The BET analysis revealed the specific surface area of 29.74, 37.25, and 33.56 m2/g for the C-H WO3nanoplates, M-H WO3nanoplates, and commercial WO3nanorods, respectively. In this research, the M-H WO3nanoplates have the highest photocatalytic efficiency of 90.07% within 360 min, comparing to the C-H WO3nanoplates and even commercial WO3nanorods.