Modification of TiO2 nanotubes by WO3 species for improving their photocatalytic activity

WO3/TiO2 nanotubular composite was synthesized at low temperature (383 K) by a novel approach. WO3 nanoparticles were loaded on anatase TiO2 nanotubes through the reaction between (NH4)6W7O24·6H2O and aqueous solution of HCl. The obtained products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-DRS). Degradation of methyl orange was employed to investigate the photocatalytic activity of the products. Results show that, among the samples with different concentrations of WO3, W10T with the atomic ratio W/Ti of 10% presents optimal degradation rate. This degradation rate is about 95% within 2 h under UV light irradiation, which is much higher than that of pure TiO2 nanotubes.