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The unique ability of tungsten oxide (WO3) to absorb light in the visible region with a spectral range of 480 nm and longer has drawn a lot of attention. It has various advantages, including low cost, low toxicity, easy availability, recyclability, and chemical stability. There have been a number of recent applications for WO3-based catalysts and photocatalysts, such as the degradation of organic pollutants, hydrogen evolution, heavy metal treatment, CO2 photoreduction, self-cleaning, air purification, etc. For organic processes such as cross-coupling, oxidation reactions, and heterocycle synthesis, we evaluate the literature on WO3-based catalysts or photocatalysts and the mechanisms involved in these reactions. We hope that this short review will help researchers make high-performance and cheap WO3-based catalysts that can be used in a lot of organic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a two-step hydrothermal method was employed to synthesize Fe2O3/WS2 composites with flower-like structure, which performed significant photocatalytic activities compared with the bare components. The morphologies and structures of the as-prepared photocatalysts were characterized, as well as the surface chemical components and the optical properties. Afterwards, the photocatalytic properties of the catalysts were evaluated through degrading MB dye and reducing Cr (VI) under the simulated solar-driven irradiation. Among these photocatalysts, 2WF behaved an efficiently oxidation degradation of 20 mg/L MB solution within 20 min, more than 5 times of bare Fe2O3 nanoparticles and nearly 3 times of bare WS2 nanosheets. Besides that, it exhibited an excellent photocatalytic reduction activity on reducing 40 mg/L Cr (VI) solution within 80 min, which was far superior to bare Fe2O3 and WS2. The excellent photocatalytic oxidation and reduction abilities enabled Fe2O3/WS2 heterostructures to be applied in the field of organic and inorganic pollutant decontaminations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnS photocatalyst is stabilized with different amounts of cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide on Montmorillonite and acid-activated Montmorillonite (AAMMT). These catalysts were investigated for the photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to methane, they were prepared via a simple solution method with different amounts of cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) stabilizer to examine its effects on the basal spacing, reaction kinetics, and products yield. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests were performed on the catalyst to characterize it. The average yield of hydrogen and methane in AAMMT samples was found to be higher than in Montmorillonites (MMT) samples, which was regarded as a consequence of the higher active area and the optimum amount of CTAB. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ZnO, CeO2, TiO2, ZnO-CeO2(ZC), CeO2-TiO2, ZnO-TiO2(ZT) and ZnO-CeO2-TiO2(ZCT) powders were fabricated using a combustion synthesis (CS) method for applying to photo-degradation and decoloration of Methyl blue with them as catalysts. Ascorbic acid (C6H8O6) and nitrate were used as fuel and raw materials, respectively. The powder was obtained when the processing parameters were optimized. C6H8O6as fuel was used for the preparation of ZnO, CeO2, TiO2, ZC, CT, ZT and ZCT powders. The produced particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the particle morphology, UV for absorbent properties, IR for purity of sample, and XRD for phase, particle size and crystallinity of the samples. In addition, these particles showed good photocatalytic and decolorizing activity, which provided an opportunity for these materials to be used for the degradation and decoloration of Methyl blue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(aniline-co-o-toluidine) encapsulated zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite was prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization. The composition, morphology and structure of poly(Ani-co-oT)/ZnO nanocomposite were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). FTIR spectrum endorsed the formation of nanocomposite. TEM image showed that the ZnO nanoparticles were well dispersed in the copolymer matrix. XRD results revealed that the crystallinity of copolymer was more pronounced after the addition of ZnO. TGA results illustrated that the decomposition temperature of nanocomposite was higher than the pure copolymer. Electrical conductivity of the copolymer was increased by the addition ZnO. In addition, the photocatalytic reaction with illuminated nanocomposite can be effectively applied to treat wastewater contaminated with Cr(VI). The reduction pattern of Cr(VI) was better fit to first-order kinetic model. The nanocomposite was also applied as a photocatalyst for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]