Photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic properties of tungsten oxide nanorods grown by thermal evaporation

Abstract

Tungsten oxide (WO 3) nanorods were grown on W substrates by thermal evaporation of WO 3 powder at high temperature without using any catalyst and then by subsequent air annealing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations revealed that the synthesized WO 3 nanorods were highly dense and single crystalline. Optical absorption measurements showed that WO 3 nanorods can absorb light up to 480–500 nm. WO 3 nanorods showed good photocurrent response with maximum current density of 1.5 mA cm −2. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue revealed that WO 3 nanorods have enhanced photocatalytic efficiency.