Development of nanostructured based ZnO@WO3 photocatalyst and its photocatalytic and electrochemical properties: Degradation of Rhodamine B

The current study focused on the hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO@WO3 nanocomposite with Zn/W mole ratios of 1:1, 5:1, and 6:1, and labeled as ZnO@WO3 (1:1), ZnO@WO3 (5:1), and ZnO@WO6:1, respectively, as heterostructure photocatalyst for Rhodamine B (RhB) degradation from textile effluent. The combination of ZnO and WO3 in a short rod-like nanocomposite structure was confirmed by the structural analyses conducted using SEM and XRD. According to a study of the electrochemical properties, ZnO@WO3 can increase the lifetime of photo-generated charge carriers by having a lower charge transfer resistance and recombination rate. The optical band gaps of pure ZnO, pure WO3, and ZnO@WO3 photocatalysts were found to be 3.22 eV, 2.75 eV, and 2.42 eV, respectively, according to optical studies. Combining ZnO and WO3 semiconductor materials in a ZnO@WO3 nanocomposite can change the forbidden band width of the nanocomposite and improve optical absorption performance in the visible light region. For pure ZnO, pure WO3, and ZnO@WO3 (5:1) photocatalysts, respectively, the total treatment of 300 ml of a 10 mg/L RhB solution was achieved after 62, 75, and 55 min of visible light irradiation. The results revealed that ZnO@WO3 (5:1) demonstrated excellent photocatalytic degradation. The results showed that ZnO@WO3 (5:1) nanocomposite has effective photocatalytic degradation potential for treating RhB in real textiles.