Photoelectrocatalytic activity of methylene blue using chemically sprayed Bi2WO6 photoanode under natural sunlight

In this work, Bi2WO6 thin films are deposited using a simple chemical spray pyrolysis technique at different substrate temperatures. The physicochemical behavior of the films was evaluated by analysing photo -electrochemical, optical, morphological, and structural properties. The Rietveld refinement study confirms the orthorhombic crystal structure of Bi2WO6 thin films. The film deposited at 325 degrees C shows maximum photocurrent density under illumination. The large area (10 x10 cm2) Bi2WO6/FTO thin film electrode is used further for photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and photoelectrocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. The effective separation of photogenerated charge carriers is carried out by applying a bias potential of 1 V. In comparison with photocatalytic and electrocatalytic degradation, the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of methylene blue shows enhanced performance with 90% degradation efficiency under solar radiation. The quenching experiment confirmed major contribution of hole in dye degradation. These outcomes can help researchers to explore the photocatalytic behaviour of different ternary metal oxides based on Bi2WO6.(c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, Bi2WO6 thin films were deposited using a chemical spray pyrolysis technique at different substrate temperatures. The films were evaluated for their physicochemical behavior through various analyses. The Rietveld refinement study confirmed the crystal structure of the thin films. The film deposited at 325 degrees C showed the highest photocurrent density and was further used for degradation experiments.