Abstract
In response to the urgent need for environmental remediation and sustainable energy sources, this study focuses on the multidimensional aspects of solar-driven decontamination of hazardous materials and hydrogen (H2) generation. To achieve these objectives, ZnO and WO3 particles were coupled through two distinct strategies, resulting in the formation of morphologically and characteristically distinguished ZWO-I and ZWO-II photosystems. The addition of Hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) in a particular reaction step played a crucial role in facilitating the fabrication of the desired products. ZWO-I photosystem was formed by the fusion of ZnO and WO3, yielding pseudo octahedral ZnWO4 microparticles. On the other hand, the ZWO-II photosystem was obtained by decorating WO3 nanoparticles (NPs) onto quasi-aligned ZnO nanorods (NRs). Both multifunctional photosystems exhibited remarkable efficiency in solar-driven nerve agent simulants (diethyl methylphosphonate (DEMP)) degradation and hydrogen production while maintaining excellent photostability and recyclability. Notably, the ZWO-II outperformed the ZWO-I photosystem due to the facile construction of type-II heterojunction between ZnO NRs and WO3 NPs at the interface. This study demonstrates the promising potential of ZnO-WO3 coupled photosystems for efficient solar-driven degradation of hazardous materials and sustainable green H2 production.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 129078 |
Journal | Separation and Purification Technology |
Volume | 354 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 19 Feb 2025 |
Keywords
- H production
- Nerve agents
- Photodegradation
- ZnO/WO
- ZnWO
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Analytical Chemistry
- Filtration and Separation