Preparation of aligned W18O49 nanowire clusters with high photocatalytic activity

The aligned W 18 O 49 nanowire clusters were synthesized via a facile and economic ethanol-assisted hydrothermal method using peroxopolytungstic acid as precursor. Results show that the as-prepared W 18 O 49 exhibits a high yield and ultrathin structure with preferential growth direction along [0   1   0]. The amount of peroxopolytungstic acid and reaction time play significant role on the morphology of W 18 O 49 nanowires. The nanowires have unique structure, high degree of crystallinity, large specific surface area, and large number of defects such as oxygen vacancies, which are responsible for their high photocatalytic performance for degradation of methylene blue. The photocatalytic conversion of methylene blue can reach above 98% after degradation. W 18 O 49 also exhibits good photodegradation stability after five cycles of reuse. The results demonstrate that the as-prepared W 18 O 49 nanowire clusters are expected to be a promising material for applications in the field of environment.