Growth of crystalline WO3-ZnSe nanocomposites: an approach to optical, electrochemical, and catalytic properties

Insaaf Assadullah,Radha Tomar,Javied Hamid Malik,Adil Shafi

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07951-5

Insaaf Assadullah, Radha Tomar + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07951-5

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Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Mar 10, 2022
Citations: 10	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Jiwaji University, Aligarh Muslim University

Abstract

In this study, novel growth of WO3-ZnSe nanocomposites was carried out by a simple, low-cost hydrothermal process under subcritical conditions and is reported for the first time in just 5 h. The products were characterized in detail by multiform techniques: X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical studies, and Fourier transform analysis. The influence of ZnSe on the structural, morphological, compositional, optical, and catalytic properties of WO3 is demonstrated. The WO3 metal oxide material is grown in a hexagonal crystal structure with wide-band-gap and has been modified by ZnSe to form a composite nanostructures in the nanoscale range. The electrochemical properties of the prepared materials were studied by cyclic voltammetry, which revealed that the synthesized material exhibited remarkable electrochemical supercapacitive activity. Moreover, the composite nanostructures showed excellent photocatalytic activity for degradation of phenol and almost 93% of phenol was degraded with good recyclability and stability. According to The International Commission on Illumination (CIE), the synthesized nanomaterial shows blue emission and is suitable for blue LEDs.

Highlights

In this study, novel growth of WO3-Zinc Selenide (ZnSe) nanocomposites was carried out by a simple, low-cost hydrothermal process under subcritical conditions and is reported for the first time in just 5 h
We report the cost-effective synthesis of W O3-ZnSe nanocomposites and have applied them for multiple applications, such as electrochemical, photoluminescent, and photocatalytic applications
The compound was almost fully degraded within 105 min and the degradation percentage reached almost 93%. These results suggested that the WO3-ZnSe nanomaterial can act as an excellent photocatalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants

Summary

Introduction

Novel growth of WO3-ZnSe nanocomposites was carried out by a simple, low-cost hydrothermal process under subcritical conditions and is reported for the first time in just 5 h. It is clear from the SEM images that the spherical nanostructures are dispersed on the surface of WO3 nanoparticles, increasing the surface area of the synthesized material, which enhances the catalytic properties of the material.

Results

Conclusion