Removal of Rhodamine 6G induced by laser and catalyzed by Pt/WO3 nanocomposite

The present study deals with the surface modification of nano-structured tungsten oxide (WO3) with nanoparticles of platinum (Pt) by applying a novel laser-based photocatalytic process. Microscopic studies revealed that Pt particles were homogeneously dispersed with narrow size distribution (2-4 nm) onto the surface of WO3 within a short time of laser irradiation while XPS studies indicated that the deposited Pt nanoparticles were in the metallic form. Nano-structured bimetallic assemblies that consisted of WO3 and Pt particles showed enhanced photocatalytic removal of Rhodamine 6G as compared to pure WO3. Influence of laser irradiation time and platinum content has been studied. The Pt/WO3 nanocomposites were also prepared using conventional setup and the resulting photocatalytic activity of the catalysts were compared under both the light sources. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.