Synthesis and characterization of hybrid organic–inorganic nanocomposite for photocatalytic application

We report a simple precipitation method for the synthesis of organic–inorganic hybrid composite Alq3–WO3 materials. The incorporation of WO3 into Alq3 samples was demonstrated using different techniques. The surface morphology signifies the aggregation in the particles. Conversely, the decrease in the photoluminescence, band gap, prolonged excited-state lifetimes, and the higher conductivity in the impedance measurements suggest a much lower recombination rate in the final composite. Overall, the present finding demonstrates an enhanced separation and transfer efficiency of the photo-generated charge carriers upon combing WO3 semiconductor with Alq3 organic complex. The photocatalytic degradation property of Alq3–WO3 composite has been studied using methylene blue (MB) as a model organic pollutant. The Alq3–WO3 composite analysis possesses good catalytic activities. From the photocatalytic degradation experiment, it is found that the data fit well with the pseudo-first-order equation for the whole range of irradiation time with a high correlation coefficient.