Visible light–driven photodegradation of Noxious methyl orange dye by Pd @ WO3 nanocomposite catalysts in aqueous solution

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this work, the Pd@WO3 nanocomposites were prepared successfully and fabricated by a effortless, simple hydrothermal method. These nanocomposites were confirmed and characterised by different technical tools by analysing the properties of structural, morphological and optical characteristics. The structural morphology of Pd@WO3 nanocomposite was delivered by SEM and TEM analysis. The prepared Pd@WO3 was utilised as catalyst for the degradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation within 80 min, respectively. The higher degradation efficacy is mainly due to the synergistic effect in between the Pd and WO3, which decreases the charge carrier (electron–hole) recombination rate. Super oxide and hydroxyl radicals played a major part in degradation reaction, which was confirmed on performing radical trapping experiments. We are delighted to see the activity of Pd@WO3 photocatalyst was unaltered even after the fifth cycle and we also proposed possible mechanism for photocatalytic degradation. This Pd@WO3 photocatalyst gives a new beginning for further research studies.