Fabrication, characterization and photocatalytic properties of Au/TiO2-WO3 nanotubular composite synthesized by photo-assisted deposition and electrochemical anodizing methods

A photo-assisted deposition (PAD) technique was adopted to construct highly dispersed gold nanoparticles on TiO2-WO3 nanotubular composite electrodes prepared by one-step electrochemical anodizing. The morphology, crystallinity, elemental composition and light absorption capability of samples were distinguished based on various characterizations. The degradation of methylene blue (MB) was used as a model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the obtained samples. Characterization of the as-prepared TiO2-WO3 samples indicated that dopant concentration in anodizing solution significantly influenced the morphology and photocatalytic activity of fabricated films. It was found that the degradation ratio of Au/TiO2-WO3 nanotubes was improved as compared with that of bare TiO2-WO3 nanotubes. The experimental results showed that the photocatalytic activities of Au/TiO2-WO3 were significantly affected by the amount of Au nanoparticles. This work provides an insight into designing and synthesizing new TiO2-WO3 nanotubes-based hybrid materials for effective visible light-activated photocatalysis. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.