Controllable synthesis of WO3 nanowires by electrospinning and their photocatalytic properties under visible light irradiation

Abstract

Large amounts of WO3 nanowires were prepared on silicon substrates by electrospinning followed by appropriate calcinations in air using ammonium metatungstate (AMT) as WO3 source. Tunable densities and diameters of WO3 nanowires were achieved by changing the electrospinning time and the concentration of AMT in precursor solution. TG/DSC analysis was used to direct the heating process. The effects of both solvent ratio and heating process on the morphology of the obtained nanowires were investigated. The morphology, structure, and chemical compositions of the tungsten oxide were characterized by SEM, XRD, and EDX, respectively. Results showed that monoclinic phase WO3 nanowires with diameters ranging from 100 to 200 nm were obtained after the appropriate heating process when the AMT concentration of the precursor solution increased from 10 to 20 wt%. The photocatalytic performance of the obtained WO3 nanowires under visible light irradiation (>420 nm) was investigated in the degradation of Rhodamine B at room temperature in air.