Growth study and photocatalytic properties of Co-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals

Cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals with different morphologies have been successfully generated using a solvothermal method with tungsten hexachloride and cobalt chloride salts as precursors. The resulting mesocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller analysis of nitrogen sorptometer, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic properties of the cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals were evaluated on the basis of their ability to degrade methyl orange in an aqueous solution under simulated sunlight irradiation. Results showed that the cobalt doping had obvious effect on the morphologies of the final products, and lenticular and blocky cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals could be obtained with 1.0 wt.% and 2.0 wt.% cobalt doping, respectively. The cobalt-doped tungsten oxides exhibited superior photocatalytic activities to that of the undoped tungsten oxide.