Precipitation synthesis of WO3 for NOx removal using PEG as template

WO3 polyhedral particles were prepared by precipitation using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as template and steric stabilizer. The growth and aggregation degree of WO3 polyhedral particles were affected by the thermal treatment, which caused different physical properties in the final product. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS) and adsorption-desorption N2 isotherms (BET). WO3 samples were tested as photocatalysts in the oxidation reaction of nitric oxide (NO) under UV irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was associated with its morphology and their surface area values. The present work demonstrates that polyhedral particles of WO3 are effective photocatalytic functional materials for air purification by elimination of NO.