Enhanced photocatalytic activity over a novel CuWO 4 /Cu 1− x Zn x WO 4 /ZnWO 4 hybrid material with sandwiched heterojunction

A novel CuWO 4 /Cu 1− x Zn x WO 4 /ZnWO 4 hybrid photocatalyst with sandwiched heterojunction structure was prepared by a one-port synthesis with Zn doping into CuWO 4 . The crystalline structure, optical, and morphological properties as well as photocatalytic performance of the as-prepared hybrid photocatalyst were studied. By adjusting the amount of Zn doped, the optimal doping level was determined to be 0.1 wt% Zn 2+ . More than 80% photocataytic degradation of rhodamine B was achieved within 20 min over 0.1 wt% Zn 2+ doped CuWO 4 , while only 20% was achieved for the pure CuWO 4 . The enhancement was proposed to be due to the formation of a CuWO 4 /Cu 1− x Zn x WO 4 /ZnWO 4 sandwiched heterojunction. Such tandem type heterojunction was found to be efficient for charge separation compared to traditional single heterojunction, which, in turn, resulted in a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity. Our finding is also expected to be valuable for the exploration of CuWO 4 -material as a new group of efficient photocatalysts.

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