Monodispersed 3D MnWO4–TiO2 composite nanoflowers photocatalysts for environmental remediation

• Fabrication of 3D MnWO4–TiO2 nanoflowers.
• The nanocomposite was investigated for the photocatalytic dye degradation.
• MnWO4–TiO2 nanoflowers possessed better activity than the pure TiO2 and MnWO4.

Pollutants from textile industries into water-bodies have caused huge environmental hazards. The semiconductor mediated photocatalytic purification of polluted water is a promising environmental remediation technology. In the present study MnWO4–TiO2 composite nanoflowers endowed with efficient photocatalytic activity have been successfully synthesized by facile hydrothermal approach. XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX spectroscopy and UV-DRS were used to characterize the as-synthesized samples. The average size of composite nanoflower is ∼2 μm while the nanorods constructing the nanoflowers had the average diameters of 90 nm. The photocatalytic activity of the MnWO4–TiO2 nanoflowers for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in visible light was much higher than of pristine TiO2 nanorods and MnWO4 nanoflowers respectively. The superior photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the formation of a MnWO4–TiO2 heterojunction in the MnWO4–TiO2 nanoflowers.

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