WO sub(3) thin films for photoelectrochemical purification of water

Tungsten trioxide thin films on transparent substrates (glass and F:SnO sub(2) or ITO-coated glass) were prepared by layer-by-layer brush painting and spin-coating using organic precursors. Well-crystallized WO sub(3) with monoclinic structure was formed on all substrates after annealing at 500 supe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemosphere (Oxford) 2007-03, Vol.67 (4), p.779-784
Main Authors: Waldner, G, Bruger, A, Gaikwad, N S, Neumann-Spallart, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Tungsten trioxide thin films on transparent substrates (glass and F:SnO sub(2) or ITO-coated glass) were prepared by layer-by-layer brush painting and spin-coating using organic precursors. Well-crystallized WO sub(3) with monoclinic structure was formed on all substrates after annealing at 500 super(o)C or above. The dense semiconducting films are specular and transparent outside the band-gap. Their photoactivity in junctions with aqueous electrolytes extends up to 470nm, with incident photon to current conversion efficiencies around 0.9 at 313nm and up to 0.1 at 436nm. Films of 10cmx10cm were used for the study of solute degradation reactions in a thin-film reactor under backside illumination. Dilute aqueous solutions of model substances for contaminants like oxalic acid were decomposed under continuous flow using broadband UVA illumination and electrical bias. Operation under solar illumination was also feasible. The advantage over operation without bias (conventional photocatalysis) prevailed for all decomposition reactions studied.
ISSN:0045-6535
DOI:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.10.024