Hybrid TiO2/WO3 nanoparticles fabricated via a sol–gel process using amphiphlic poly(ε-caprolactone)-block-poly(acrylic acid) diblock copolymer as template and their high visible light photocatalytic activity

Abstract The hybrid TiO 2 /WO 3 nanoparticles with different doping ratios of tungsten were synthesized from titanium tetra-isopropoxide and tungsten hexachloride (WCl 6 ) as precursors via a sol–gel process using poly( ε -caprolactone)- b -poly(acrylic acid) (PCL- b -PAA) diblock copolymer as a template. The morphology, crystal structure, chemical and physical property of the fabricated TiO 2 /WO 3 nanoparticles were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and so on. N 2 adsorption–desorption analysis revealed that the surface area (40.6 m 2  g −1 ), pore volume (0.11 cm 3  g −1 ) and average pore size (8.56 nm) of such TiO 2 /WO 3 nanoparticles. The resulting hybrid TiO 2 /WO 3 nanoparticles (average diameter: ca. 100–200 nm) with proper doping ratio of tungsten exhibited the enhanced photocatalytic activity than that of the commercial P25 in the degradation of methylene blue. Graphic Abstract