Length Self-Interspersed mesoporous nanoplates assembled WO3 boosts photoelectrocatalytic pollutants degradation: Enhancing separation and transfer of hole/electron pairs

Photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) technology requires catalysts with narrow bandgap for high visible-light activity and efficient charge separation. In this study, self-interspersed porous nanoplates assembled WO3 (s-i-WO3) are synthesized via a dissolution-calcination method in the absence of templates. The results show that the s-i-WO3 catalyst exhibits excellent PEC activity and high stability. The bisphenol A (BPA) degradation efficiency of PEC system (93.7%) is significantly higher than those of photocatalysis (22.0%) and electrocatalysis (43.8%) systems. The two-dimensional porous structure and small-size mesopores of s-i-WO3 improve PEC reactions by enlarging specific surface area and providing more catalytic sites. Furthermore, the self-interspersed structure promotes the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron/hole pairs under light irradiation. Moreover, hydroxyl rad-icals are demonstrated to be the most prevalent reactive oxygen species in the developed PEC system. Our work sheds light on designing photoelectrocatalysts with high visible-light activity, abundant catalytic sites, and efficient charge separation.