Characterization and Comparison of WO[sub.3]/WO[sub.3]-MoO[sub.3] and TiO[sub.2]/TiO[sub.2]-ZnO Nanostructures for Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of the Pesticide Imazalil

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 18
• Main Authors: Cifre-Herrando, Mireia, Roselló-Márquez, Gemma, Navarro-Gázquez, Pedro José, Muñoz-Portero, María José, Blasco-Tamarit, Encarnación, García-Antón, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 01-09-2023
• Subjects: Drinking water; Persistent organic pollutants; Pesticides; Water pollution; Water quality; Zinc oxide
• DOI: 10.3390/nano13182584
• EISSN: 2079-4991

Tungsten oxide (WO[sub.3]) and zinc oxide (ZnO) are n-type semiconductors with numerous applications in photocatalysis. The objective of this study was to synthesize and characterize different types of nanostructures (WO[sub.3], WO[sub.3]-Mo, TiO[sub.2], and TiO[sub.2]-ZnO) for a comparison of hybrid and pure nanostructures to use them as a photoanodes for photoelectrocatalytic degradation of emerging contaminants. With the aim of comparing the properties of both samples, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and confocal laser-Raman spectroscopy were used to study the morphology, composition, and crystallinity, respectively. Electrochemical impedances, Mott-Schottky, and water splitting measurements were performed to compare the photoelectrochemical properties of photoanodes. Finally, the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of the pesticide Imazalil was carried out with the best optimized nanostructure (TiO[sub.2]-ZnO).