Enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance of a monolithic tungsten oxide/graphene oxide aerogel for nitric oxide oxidation

Photocatalysis is considered a promising technique for removal of pollutants from indoor air. However, the low selectivity and limited recyclability of photocatalysts in powder form currently limit their practical application. In this work, we reported the successful preparation of a monolithic tungsten oxide (WO3)/graphene oxide (GO) aerogel photocatalyst through a cost-effective freeze-drying method. GO not only acts as a macroscopic support, but also increases the catalyst surface area from 46 to 57 m(2)/g, enhances the light absorption in the visible-light region, and raises the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The Obtained WO3/GO aerogel exhibited an outstanding visible-light photocatalytic degradation rate of nitric oxide of 51%, which was 3.3 times that of pristine WO3 powder. In addition, the aerogel displayed excellent selectivity, with a generation fraction of toxic nitrogen dioxide of as low as 0.5%. This work presents a facile synthesis route to fabricate a monolithic WO3/GO aerogel photocatalyst with great promise for air purification. (C) 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.