Study of photocatalytic activities of Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method

We present a study of photocatalytic activities of Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method. The photocatalytic activities of the nanoparticles were evaluated by the decolorization of methylene-blue under visible-light-irradiation. Our results show that the surface area of Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles plays a major role for improving photocatalytic activity, while visible-light absorption has only a weak effect on photocatalytic activity. This suggests efficient transportation of photo-generated electrons and holes to the oxidation active sites on the surface of nanoparticles, indicating Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles synthesized by fast microwave-assisted method are promising for achieving high photocatalytic activity under visible-light-irradiation. - Highlights: • The Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles were synthesized via fast microwave-assisted method. • The obtained Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles exhibited visible-light absorbance. • The surface area of Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles plays major role for improving photocatalytic activity. • The Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles are promising for achieving high photocatalytic activity under visible-light-irradiation