Oxidative degradation of salicylic acid by sprayed WO3 photocatalyst

The WO3 thin films were deposited using spray pyrolysis technique. The prepared WO3 thin films were characterized using photoelectrochemical (PEC), X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV-vis absorbance spectroscopy techniques. PEC measurements of WO3 films deposited at different deposition temperatures were carried out to study photoresponse. The maximum photocurrent (Iph = 261 μA/cm2) was observed for the film deposited at the 225 °C. The monoclinic crystal structure of WO3 has been confirmed from X-ray diffraction studies. AFM studies were used to calculate particle size and average roughness of the films. Optical absorbance was studied to estimate the bandgap energy of WO3 thin film which was about 2.65 eV. The photoelectrocatalytic activity of WO3 film was studied by degradation of salicylic acid with reducing concentrations as function of reaction time. The WO3 photocatalyst degraded salicylic acid to about 67.14% with significant reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) value.