Ultrasonic spray deposition of WO3-rGO thin-film composite for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

Abstract Despite the remarkable development in visible region photocatalysts, maintaining the environment sustainable with low-cost material were two challenges that are yet to be resolved. In the present work, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared from used waste dry cell batteries and sourced for ultrasonic spray deposit WO3-rGO composite film. The presence of rGO sheets enhanced the material photocatalytic activity and favored the effective formation of hexagonal WO3. The prepared composite photocatalyst thin-films demonstrated attractive degradation proficiency on an industrial dye (methylene blue) under simulated solar irradiation. The result shows that visible light with WO3-rGO composite achieved an effective degradation of methylene blue (MB) dyes up to 88% at 120 min irradiation. The enhanced utilization of surface-active sites through thin film assembly advocates the fabricated WO3-rGO composite thin film as a promising visible-light region photocatalyst.