The Photoelectrocatalytic Activity of Thin-Film WO3 Photoanodes

Thin films of tungsten oxide were obtained by cathodic electrodeposition from an electrolyte based on sodium tungstate at a potential of –0.45 V versus an Ag/AgCl reference electrode. WO3 photoanode film consists of a monoclinic modification (ε-WO3) with a crystallite size of 10–12 nm. The electrocatalytic activity of WO3 photoanode in reactions of photoelectrochemical oxidation of mono-, di-, and trihydric alcohols was studied. It was shown that the photoelectrocatalytic activity of WO3 photoanodes is explained by an increase in the photoelectrooxidation rate symbatically with the number of alcohol adsorption sites.