Preparation of novel Sb2O3/WO3 photocatalysts and their activities under visible light irradiation

Abstract Novel visible-light-driven Sb 2 O 3 /WO 3 photocatalysts were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis followed by heat treatment, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), BET surface area, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and photoluminescence spectra (PL). The photocatalytic activities of Sb 2 O 3 /WO 3 photocatalysts were evaluated by the rhodamine B degradation using a LED lamp as visible light irradiation. Compared with pure WO 3 and Sb 2 O 3 , the significantly enhanced photocatalytic activities of the Sb 2 O 3 /WO 3 composite particles are attributed to the decrease of the recombination rate of photoinduced electron–hole pairs due to the coupling of Sb 2 O 3 and WO 3 within the composite nanoparticles. Studies of Sb 2 O 3 /WO 3 composites indicate that one approach to design composite materials with enhanced photocatalytic performance is through coupling Sb 2 O 3 with WO 3 , which the lowest energy states for electrons and holes are in different semiconductors.