MoO3-nanowire membrane and Bi2Mo3O12/MoO3 nano-heterostructural photocatalyst for wastewater treatment

A novel filter membrane is fabricated from alpha-MoO3 nanowires by a facile vacuum filtration method and subsequently used for removal of organic pollutants from a simulative wastewater. The alpha-MoO3 nanowires with diameters of 100-200 nm and lengths around 10 mu m are synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal method. The as-prepared MoO3-nanowire filter membrane shows a very high filtration capability of 1.0 L/g that the organic dyes (50 mu M) in the simulative wastewater (1.0 L) can be completely removed by filtration through the filter membrane made of 1.0 g alpha-MoO3 nanowires. Furthermore, the MoO3 filter membrane can be reused after a simple heattreatment at 350 degrees C to remove the adsorbed organic dyes. Based on the MoO3 nanowires with a high adsorbability, Bi2MoO3O12/MoO3 nano-heterostructure is prepared and used as a photocatalyst to degrade organic dyes in aqueous solution under visible light. The resultant Bi2Mo3O12/MoO3 nano-heterostructure is composed of alpha-MoO3 nanowires decorated with Bi2Mo3O12 nanoparticles with sizes of 50-200 nm. Compared with the pure Bi2Mo3O12 sample, Bi2Mo3O12/MoO3 nano-heterostructure displays an obviously enhanced photocatalytic activity for photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.