WO3 thin films for photoelectrochemical purification of water Original Research Article

Tungsten trioxide thin films on transparent substrates (glass and F:SnO2 or ITO-coated glass) were prepared by layer-by-layer brush painting and spin-coating using organic precursors. Well-crystallized WO3 with monoclinic structure was formed on all substrates after annealing at 500 °C or above. The dense semiconducting films are specular and transparent outside the band-gap. Their photoactivity in junctions with aqueous electrolytes extends up to 470 nm, with incident photon to current conversion efficiencies around 0.9 at 313 nm and up to 0.1 at 436 nm. Films of 10 cm × 10 cm were used for the study of solute degradation reactions in a thin-film reactor under backside illumination. Dilute aqueous solutions of model substances for contaminants like oxalic acid were decomposed under continuous flow using broadband UVA illumination and electrical bias. Operation under solar illumination was also feasible. The advantage over operation without bias (conventional photocatalysis) prevailed for all decomposition reactions studied.