The excellent photocatalytic activity of novel Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite toward the degradation of rhodamine B

• Published in: Advanced powder technology : the international journal of the Society of Powder Technology, Japan Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 257 - 265
• Main Authors: Tahmasebi, Nemat, Mirzavand, Samira, Hakimyfard, Alireza, Barzegar, Shahram
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.02.2019
• Subjects: Composite; Cs3PW12O40; Degradation; Photocatalyst; Degradation; Cs3PW12O40; Composite; Photocatalyst
• ISSN: 0921-8831; 1568-5527
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apt.2018.11.001

[Display omitted] •A novel Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite was synthesized for the first time by thermal decomposition method.•The Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite showed excellent photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation.•The OH and O2− radicals are the main active species in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB. In this paper, a simple one-pot thermal decomposition method was successfully used to synthesize a novel Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite for the first time. The synthesized composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), FTIR, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and N2 adsorption-desorption techniques. The photocatalytic activity to degrade RhB molecules over Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite was evaluated under xenon light irradiation. The results indicated the complete degradation of RhB molecules over Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite after 30 min irradiation. However, the photocatalytic degradation of RhB over WO3 and Cs3PW12O40 after 80 min light irradiation are nearly 52%, and 68%, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite compared with WO3, and Cs3PW12O40 was ascribed to the strong interaction between WO3 and Cs3PW12O40, which effectively reduces the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. Based on experimental results, the possible mechanism of photocatalytic reactions on the Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite photocatalyst was investigated, and the hydroxyl radical (OH) and superoxide radical (O2−) were determined as the main active species in the photocatalytic degradation of RhB over Cs3PW12O40/WO3 composite.