Preparation and photocatalytic activity of WO3/TiO2 nanocomposite particles

A novel photocatalyst WO3/TiO2 nanocomposite was prepared through a hydrothermal method by using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as surfactant. The obtained WO3/TiO2 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and diffused reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Photocatalytic experiments indicate that the nanocomposites show much higher photoactivity than that of pure TiO2 in the photodegradation reaction of Rhodamine B (RhB). The increased photoactivity Of WO3/TO2 may be attributed to the improvement of the light absorption properties and the slow down of the recombination between the photoexcited electrons and holes during the photoreaction. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.