Amelioration in the visible-light-driven photocatalysis by <002> faceted WO3 nanocuboids

Monoclinic WO3 nanocuboids with preferred texturing in the < 002 > plane were synthesized hydrothermally using oxalic acid as the structure-directing agent. The faceted WO3 showed excellent photoelectrochemical oxidation of H2O and photocatalytic removal of methyl-tertiary-butyl ether, better than that of its non-faceted counterpart. Improved catalytic activity of nanocuboids is attributed to its surface structure and wettability. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.