Precipitation synthesis of tungsten oxide nanoparticles: X-ray line broadening analysis and photocatalytic efficiency study

Abstract

We report the synthesis and characterization of tungsten oxide nanoparticles prepared by the precipitation method, followed by calcinations at 500 and 600 °C. The obtained nanoparticles have been studied using characterization techniques like X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, BET surface area analyzer, and FTIR spectroscopy. X-ray line profile analysis is employed to evaluate the microstructural parameters of tungsten oxide nanoparticles by the Williamson–Hall (W–H) analysis and variance method. The calculated average crystallite sizes by the W–H method and Variance analysis are correlated with the values obtained from the results of scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activity of tungsten oxide samples was evaluated by the discoloration efficiency of methylene blue (MB) dye solutions in the dark condition and under visible light irradiation. Photocatalytic experiments revealed that the nanoparticles calcinated at 500 °C exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity for MB discoloration.