Preparation of Highly Dispersed WO₃ Nanoparticles on Carbon Nanotubes and Application as Visible Photocatalyst.

Tungsten oxide nanoparticles with high dispersion supported on carbon nanotube (CNT) templates were fabricated by the liquid phase method. Given the isolation effects of the network from CNT bundles, the nano-size H2WO4 and WO3 can be obtained. The photodegradation ability of the WO3/CNTs was evaluated by methylene blue (MB). The degradation rate of MB can reach 94.7% for 30 min, which is superior to that of pure WO3 at 73.1% for 30 min. Furthermore, the degradation rate of the catalyst can reach 83.7% after recycling for five times, thus displaying the excellent stability of the photocatalyst. These results may be attributed to the highly dispersed WO3 nanoparticles and the suppression of electron-hole recombination by CNT templates. This study proves that WO3/CNT photocatalysts have potential applications in environmental and other related fields.