Preparation and High Degradation Activity of Supported Nano-Bi₂WO₆–TiO₂/Nickel Foam Photocatalyst

Abstract

The supported nano- Bi 2 WO 6 – TiO 2 /nickel foam photocatalyst was synthesized via spraying method with silica sol as a binder. The as-prepared photocatalyst with large surface and thermal stability exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance for degradation of Rhodamine B ( RhB ) solution in sunlight irradiation. The results showed that the RhB solution could be degraded to 71.6% within 60min, exhibiting that improved photocatalytic activity increased by 77.6%, compared with that of pure Bi 2 WO 6 – TiO 2 nanoparticles. Its high photocatalytic activity was due to the presence of nickel foam in the catalytic process, making the Bi 2 WO 6 – TiO 2 highly dispersed and increasing the contact area of the photocatalysts with the organic pollutants. At the same time, a possible photocatalytic mechanism for the enhanced photocatalytic performance was investigated.