Synthesis of High-Activity TiO2/WO3 Photocatalyst via Environmentally Friendly and Microwave Assisted Hydrothermal Process

Abstract

This work focused on the synthesis of high-activity TiO₂/WO₃ photocatalysts through an environmentally friendly and novel process. A high energy-efficient microwave assisted hydrothermal method was employed to prepare TiO₂/WO₃ from TiCl₄ and Na₂WO₄ without using any organic species. The properties of the synthesized catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM and BET. The size of the obtained TiO₂/WO₃ photocatalyst was about 10 nm with high specific surface areas larger than 150 m2 /g. Compared with pure TiO₂, the TiO₂/WO₃ nanoparticles exhibited better photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation.