Preparation and photocatalytic performance of graphene Oxide/WO3 quantum Dots/TiO2@SiO2 microspheres

Abstract In order to enhance the interaction between GO/TiO 2 nanostructure and SiO 2 microsphere, graphene oxide/WO 3 quantum dots/TiO 2 @SiO 2 (GOWTS) microspheres were prepared by using urchin-like SiO 2 microsphere as template, and were characterized with X-ray diffractometer (XRD), nitrogen adsorption analyzer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS), respectively. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity was tested by degrading Rhodamine b (RhB) solution. The resultant GOWTS microsphere possesses very good photocatalytic performance under UV light or nature solar light, in which the decomposition rate of Rhodamine B (RhB) reached 100% within 60 min under nature solar light without stirring. The degradation rate constant of GOWTS is about 3 times of GOTS. Moreover, the GOWTS microspheres display very good photocatalytic stability, indicating a potential industrial application in sewage treatment.