Three-dimensional Ag2O/WO3·0.33H2O heterostructures for improving photocatalytic activity

Three-dimensional Ag2O/WO3·0.33H2O heterostructures were fabricated by loading Ag2O nanoparticles on WO3·0.33H2O 3D networks via a simple chemical precipitation method. The Ag2O/WO3·0.33H2O heterostructures exhibited much enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under simulated solar light irradiation. The optimal molar ratio of Ag2O and WO3·0.33H2O is 1:2. The outstanding photocatalytic activity of the Ag2O/WO3·0.33H2O can be attributed to its large surface area of the three-dimensional networks, the enhanced sunlight absorption and the prevention of electrons–holes combination from the heterostructures. The experiment result demonstrates that wide band gap semiconductor (WO3·0.33H2O) modified by narrow band gap metal oxide (Ag2O) with 3D architecture will be an effective route to enhance its photocatalytic activity.