Regulation of morphology and visible light-driven photocatalysis of WO_(3)nanostructures by changing pH

The controlled preparation of hexagonal tungsten trioxide(h-WO_(3))nanostructures was achieved by adjusting the pH of the precursor solution.The effect of the pH on the morphology,elemental composition,and photocatalytic performance of the samples was characterized via X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy,and Raman spectroscopy.Ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis)spectra were used to evaluate the absorbance and the photocatalytic performance of methylene blue.Photoluminescence(PL),electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,photocurrent response and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)were used to study the optical properties,electrical performance,and specific surface area of the WO_(3)-nanostructures,respectively.The results indicate that the WO_(3) nanorods prepared at pH=1.0 exhibit the highest photocatalytic performance(87.4%in 1 h),whereas the WO_(3) nanoblocks prepared at p H=3.0 show the lowest.The photocatalytic performance of the one dimensional(1 D)-nanorods can be attributed to their high specific surface area and charge transfer ability.The h-WO_(3) nanostructures were synthesized via a simple method and without a capping agent.They show an excellent photocatalytic performance,which is promising for their application in environment purification.