Hydrothermal synthesis of WO3 nanowires in the presence of guanidine sulfate and its photocatalytic activity

WO3 nanowires were fabricated by a hydrothermal method, which proceeded at 170 °C for 48 h in a solution containing C2H10N6H2SO4 as a dispersant and Na2WO4 as a starting material. The nanowires exhibit a well crystallized one-dimensional structure with 20 nm in diameter and several microns in length. The physicochemical properties of WO3 were compared using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The photoactivity of the as-perpared WO3 nanowires was evaluated through the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The experimental results demonstrate that addition of C2H10N6H2SO4 salt in the WO3 nanowires synthesis process can enhance its photocatalytic activity obviously.