Time- and Energy-Efficient Solution Combustion Synthesis of Binary Metal Tungstate Nanoparticles with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

In the search for stable and efficient photocatalysts beyond TiO2, the tungsten-based oxide semiconductors silver tungstate (Ag2WO4), copper tungstate (CuWO4), and zinc tungstate (ZnWO4) were prepared using solution combustion synthesis (SCS). The tungsten precursor's influence on the product was of particular relevance to this study, and the most significant effects are highlighted. Each sample's photocatalytic activity towards methyl orange degradation was studied and bench-marked against their respective commercial oxide sample obtained by solid-state ceramic synthesis. Based on the results herein, we conclude that SCS is a time-and energy-efficient method to synthesize crystalline binary tungstate nanomaterials even without additional excessive heat treatment. As many of these photocatalysts possess excellent photocatalytic activity, the discussed synthetic strategy may open sustainable materials chemistry avenues to solar energy conversion and environmental remediation.