Facile synthesis of MnWO4/WO3 electrospun nanofibers as high performance visible-light driven photocatalysts

Visible-light-driven MnWO4/WO3 photocatalysts with different amount of MnWO4 were successfully synthesized by a facile electrospinning technology. The photocatalytic performance was evaluated by oxidation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation. The results showed that 3 mol% MnWO4/WO3 nanofibers exhibited enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of 85% and the degradation constant of 3 mol% MnWO4/WO3 nanofibers was as high as 3.1 times to that of pure WO3 as the irradiation time increasing to 120 min. The cyclic test showed that the 3 mol% MnWO4/WO3 nanofibers had the stable photocatalytic cycle ability. The effect of adding amount of MnWO4 on photocatalytic properties of MnWO4/WO3 nanofibers and the relevant photocatalytic mechanism were investigated. The trapping experiment showed that O2−, OH and h+ were the major reactive species for the MnWO4/WO3 photocatalytic system. In all, the MnWO4/WO3 photocatalyst is promising for the further practical application of photocatalysis in wastewater treatment.