Solvothermal synthesis of CNTs–WO3 hybrid nanostructures with high photocatalytic activity under visible light

The CNTs–WO3 hybrid nanostructures were fabricated by solvothermal synthesis. The morphologies, phase structures and optical properties of the nanostructures were investigated by TEM, XRD, UV–vis DRS and XPS respectively. The CNTs–WO3 hybrid nanostructures exist higher photocatalytic activity than pure WO3 nanosheets and the mechanical mixture of WO3 and CNTs for the degradation of methyl blue (MB) under visible light. This is attributed to their large surface area, absorption enhancement in visible light region and effective separation of electrons and holes. The presence of radical scavengers such as KI, Fe3 + and methanol in photocatalytic experiments demonstrates that photogenerated electrons are responsible for the photocatalytic degradation of MB on CNTs–WO3.

Graphical abstractThe uniform attachment of WO3 on CNTs and strong interaction between WO3 and CNTs facilitated the transfer of electrons and hampered the recombination of electrons and holes successfully on hybrid materials. ·OH radicals were main active species for the degradation of MB on CNTs–WO3, which likely mainly resulted from the reduction of photogenerated electrons.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► CNTs-WO3 hybrid nanostructures were obtained by a facile solvothermal method. ► The content of CNTs played an important role on controlling the morphologies. ► CNTs-WO3 hampered the recombination of electrons and holes successfully.