Enhanced solar light–driven photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline and organic pollutants by novel one–dimensional ZnWO4 nanorod–decorated two–dimensional Bi2WO6 nanoflakes

Abstract

Synthesis of dimensionally coupled binary nanocomposites using two–dimensional Bi2WO6 nanoflakes and one–dimensional ZnWO4 nanorods were constructed in a novel way for the removal of tetracycline (TC) and rhodamine B (RhB) under solar irradiation. The Bi2WO6/ZnWO4 nanocomposites were synthesized using a simple and eco–friendly in–situ hydrothermal procedure. The dimensionally coupled Bi2WO6/ZnWO4 nanocomposites exhibited outstanding photocatalytic activity for the degradation of TC under solar irradiation. Among all the nanocomposites, the BWZW–10 nanocomposite presented the better catalytic activity for the degradation of TC and RhB. The superior photocatalytic activities of the nanocomposites can be ascribed to the synergistic effect of ZnWO4 and Bi2WO6, their high light absorption ability, the production of a large number of charge carriers, the easy migration of charges, and the suppression of the recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers. This study offers new avenues towards the design and fabrication of dimensionally coupled binary nanocomposites for environmental remediation applications.