Boosted photocatalytic and electrochemical activity of hydrothermally synthesized WO3 nanoparticles co‑doped with transition elements (Mn, Co)

• Published in: Materials science & engineering. B, Solid-state materials for advanced technology Solid-state materials for advanced technology, 2024-09, Vol.307, p.117541, Article 117541
• Main Authors: Majeed Khan, M.A., Pawar, Manjeet, Ansari, Anees A., Ahamed, Maqusood, Kumar, Sushil, Shahabuddin, Mohammed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electrochemical behaviour; Mn-Co co-doped WO3; Photocatalysis; Photodegradation mechanism; Surface morphology
• ISSN: 0921-5107; 1873-4944
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mseb.2024.117541

•Pure WO3, Mn-WO3 and (Mn, Co)-WO3 NPs were prepared by hydrothermal protocol.•Structural, optical, photocatalytic, electrochemical properties of NPs were studied.•Band gap and electron-hole recombination rate both of co-doped NPs were reduced.•Enhanced photocatalytic activity of (Mn, Co)-WO3 NPs may efficiently degrade dyes.•(Mn, Co)-WO3 NPs has better electrochemical activity as electrode in supercapacitors. In this paper, undoped WO3 and (Mn, Co) co-doped WO3 nanoparticles were successfully prepared using a facile and viable hydrothermal technique and then characterized them using different complimentary techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, photocatalytic and cyclic voltammetry measurements. Upon (Mn, Co) co-doping, the absorption edge shifted towards a higher wavelength with respect to that of WO3 nanoparticles, and the band gap as calculated from Tauc relation was reduced from 3.30 to 2.70 eV. The reduced intensity of photoluminescence spectra indicated that the incorporation of Mn and Co ions in WO3 nanoparticles suppressed the recombination of electron-hole pairs. The photocatalytic activity of produced samples/catalysts was estimated for the removal of Rhodamine B dye under visible light irradiation. The (Mn 5 %, Co 3 %) co-doped WO3 nanoparticles showed superior photocatalytic performance compared to undoped WO3 nanoparticles, which could be due to reduction in band gap as well as reduction in recombination rate probability of photo-generated electron-hole pairs. The electrochemical performance of (Mn, Co) co-doped WO3 nanoparticles was found to be superior than that of undoped WO3 nanoparticles. The results demonstrated that (Mn 5 %, Co 3 %) co-doped WO3 nanoparticles is a promising potential candidate for practical applications in environmental remediation (dye degradation) and energy storage devices (supercapacitors).