Hydrothermal construction of WO3·0.33H2O/g-C3N4 nanocomposites with enhanced adsorption and photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Tungsten trioxide has attracted extensive attention for photocatalytic applications owing to its unique structure and intrinsic merits; however, the small specific surface area and rapid electron–hole recombination still limit its adsorption and photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, WO₃·0.33H₂O/g-C₃N₄ nanocomposite photocatalysts were designed and constructed using a facile low temperature hydrothermal method. The interaction between 1D WO₃·0.33H₂O nanorods and 2D g-C₃N₄ nanosheets produces a heterojunction with enhanced adsorption and photocatalytic degradation performance towards methylene blue pollutant. It is found that the synergistic effect of the surface charge and specific surface area significantly enhances the adsorption capacity which can be up to 23 times higher than that of WO₃·0.33H₂O, and the optimal photocatalytic activity is 3.67 and 1.70 times higher than that of pristine WO₃·0.33H₂O and g-C₃N₄, respectively.