Characterization and Comparison of WO3/WO3-MoO3 and TiO2/TiO2-ZnO Nanostructures for Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of the Pesticide Imazalil

Tungsten oxide (WO3) and zinc oxide (ZnO) are n-type semiconductors with numerous applications in photocatalysis. The objective of this study was to synthesize and characterize different types of nanostructures (WO3, WO3-Mo, TiO2, and TiO2-ZnO) for a comparison of hybrid and pure nanostructures to use them as a photoanodes for photoelectrocatalytic degradation of emerging contaminants. With the aim of comparing the properties of both samples, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and confocal laser-Raman spectroscopy were used to study the morphology, composition, and crystallinity, respectively. Electrochemical impedances, Mott-Schottky, and water splitting measurements were performed to compare the photoelectrochemical properties of photoanodes. Finally, the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of the pesticide Imazalil was carried out with the best optimized nanostructure (TiO2-ZnO).

Automated summary

This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of different types of nanostructures for their potential use as photoanodes in the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of emerging contaminants. The results demonstrate that the optimized nanostructure (TiO2-ZnO) exhibits excellent performance in the photoelectrocatalytic degradation process.