Hydrothermal Synthesis of Co-Exposed-Faceted WO(3) Nanocrystals with Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance

In this paper, rod-shaped, cuboid-shaped, and irregular WO(3) nanocrystals with different co-exposed crystal facets were prepared for the first time by a simple hydrothermal treatment of tungstic acid colloidal suspension with desired pH values. The crystal structure, morphology, specific surface area, pore size distribution, chemical composition, electronic states of the elements, optical properties, and charge migration behavior of as-obtained WO(3) products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fully automatic specific surface area and porosity analyzer, UV–vis absorption spectra, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The photocatalytic performances of the synthesized pHx-WO(3) nanocrystals (x = 0.0, 1.5, 3.0, 5.0, and 7.0) were evaluated and compared with the commercial WO(3) (CM-WO(3)) nanocrystals. The pH7.0-WO(3) nanocrystals with co-exposed {202} and {020} facets exhibited highest photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue solution, which can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the largest specific surface area, the weakest luminescence peak intensity and the smallest arc radius diameter.