Synthesis of nanostructured ZnO/Bi2WO6 heterojunction for photocatalysis application

We reported on a novel visible responding ZnO/Bi2WO6 heterojunction photocatalyst for the efficient photodegradation of pollutant. The heterojunction photocatalysts were prepared by dispersing the Bi2WO6 precursor into Zn(OH)2 solution, the precipitates at 500 °C to form Bi2WO6 and ZnO crystals simultaneously. Compared to individual ZnO and Bi2WO6, ZnO/Bi2WO6 significantly improved photocatalytic properties with high stability due, we believe, to high efficient separation of the photogenerated charge at the ZnO/Bi2WO6 interface under visible light irradiation. It was found that ZnO contents in the heterojunction photocatalyst significantly influenced charge separation and transfer at the interface. With reintroduction of Pt nanoparticles, the photocatalytic activity of ZnO/Bi2WO6 could be further enhanced for specific issues, such as degradation of sensitized Rhodamine B (Rh.B) dye. In this work, we determined that the ZnO/Bi2WO6 heterojunction with a tunable property can be applied to wide solar energy conversion.