WO3 and Ag nanoparticle co-sensitized TiO2 nanowires: preparation and the enhancement of photocatalytic activity

Abstract

In this paper, TiO₂ nanowires decorated with WO₃ nanoparticles (WO₃-TWS) on Ti foils were prepared using simple hydrothermal treatment, wet impregnation and subsequent annealing treatment, sequentially. Ag nanoparticles were successfully deposited on the obtained WO₃-TWS by a successive ionic layer adsorption reaction technique. Ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra showed that the introduction of Ag and WO₃ particles on TiO₂ nanowire surfaces extends the absorption edge to the visible light regime. More importantly, the increase of Ag content greatly enhances the absorption intensity in the visible light regime. The photocatalytic experiment results revealed that TiO₂ nanowires decorated with Ag and WO₃ nanoparticles possess higher photocatalytic activities toward methyl orange than pure TiO₂ nanowires. The degradation percentage of 95.6% after 10 cycles indicated that the as-prepared photocatalyst composites exhibited excellent long-time recyclability for the degradation of contaminants.