Sonocatalytic performance of CuO/WO3 nanoparticles for degradation of methylene blue

Abstract

CuO, WO₃ and CuO/WO₃ composite catalysts were synthesized by using a sol–gel technique. The as-prepared catalyst nanoparticles were characterized by using FTIR, XRD, FESEM, fluorescence spectroscopy and UV–Vis absorbance spectroscopy. FTIR and XRD analyzes showed that CuO and WO₃ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized. FESEM images revealed homogeneous distribution of composite components within each other. The optical band gap of WO₃ was narrowed with the inclusion of CuO. The sonocatalytic activity of the as-prepared samples was studied by sonocatalytic degradation of an organic dye, methylene blue, under ultrasonic irradiation. The effect of catalyst loading and radical scavenger on the dye degradation rate was also examined. All composite samples exhibited higher sonocatalytic activity than pure samples. The highest sonocatalytic dye degradation efficiency (52.7%) was obtained with the CuO/WO₃ composite at a 2/1 mol ratio. After five cycle experiments, the sonocatalytic dye degradation efficiency of the CuO/WO₃ composite decreased slightly to 36.7%.