Constructing Bi_(2)WO_(6)-decorated TiO_(2) composite films for photocathodic protection of 304 stainless steel

Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoplate/TiO_(2) nanowire and Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoflower/TiO_(2) nanowire composite films were successfully prepared using a hydrothermal method.The results show that the light absorption for Bi_(2)WO_(6)/TiO_(2) composite films is extended to the visible region after Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoplates and nanoflowers are assembled onto TiO_(2) nanowires.Furthermore,Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoflower/TiO_(2) nano wire composite film exhibits a better absorption property compared to Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoplate/TiO_(2) nanowire film,which is mainly ascribed to the narrower bandgap of Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoflower compared to that of Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoplate.The photocurrent density for Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoflower/TiO_(2) nanowire and Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoplate/TiO_(2) nanowire composite films can reach 95 and 62.5 μA cm-2,respectively,which are much higher than that obtained for a pure TiO_(2) nanowire film(25 μA cm-2).Meanwhile,under illumination,the pure TiO_(2) nanowire,Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoplate/TiO_(2) nanowire and Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoflower/TiO_(2) nanowire films can reduce the potential of the coupled 304 stainless steel in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution by 299,719 and 739 mV,respectively.Thus,Bi_(2)WO_(6) nanoflower/TiO_(2) nanowire film is found to provide the best effective photocathodic protection for 304 stainless steel.This work not only provides an example of shape-dependent photocathodic protection based on Bi_(2)WO_(6) but also opens up new possibilities to design an ideal microstructure on the basis of semiconductor materials for future applications of photocathodic protection.