Metal-organic decomposition synthesis of tungsten oxide nanoparticles and evaluation of visible-light-driven photocatalytic ability

To develop a simple fabrication method for a highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst, we investigated the photocatalytic ability of tungsten oxide (WO₃) nanoparticles prepared on substrate surfaces by the metal-organic decomposition (MOD) method. Using this method, the diameter of WO₃ nanoparticles was varied from 70 to 250 nm by simply adjusting the baking temperature. The WO₃ nanoparticles prepared under optimal conditions showed that their photocatalytic ability under visible light is 10 times higher than that of TiO₂ fabricated by the MOD method under optimal conditions.