Charge separation and strong adsorption-enhanced MoO3 visible light photocatalytic performance

Abstract

This report aims to systematically study the photocatalytic properties of α-MoO3 and h-MoO3. Here, α-MoO3 nanorods and h-MoO3 hexagonal prism were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. The products were characterized in detail, and the results showed that the products are very pure with excellent morphology. The photocatalytic properties of MoO3 were evaluated via methylene blue and rhodamine B dyes as well as tetracycline. The results indicate that the photocatalytic efficiency of α-MoO3 is better than that of h-MoO3, and α-MoO3 has the best photocatalytic activities at 24 h because of the synergistic adsorption and photocatalysis and dye-sensitized mechanism. We further proposed a charge separation model between (002) and (00_2) polar surfaces via density functional theory computation to explain the enhanced photocatalytic activities. The excellent photocatalytic efficiency of α-MoO3 suggests that it can be used for photodegradation of wastewater.