Fabrication and photoelectrochemical properties of porous ZnWO4 film

Porous ZnWO₄ films have been fabricated on Indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass and its photoelectrochemical properties and high photocatalytic activities towards degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) has been investigated. Using amorphous heteronuclear complex as precursor and with the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG, molecular weight=400), the porous ZnWO₄ films have been achieved at the temperature of 500 °C via dip-coating method. It is composed of approximately 70 nm-sized particles and exhibits substantial porosity. The textures and porosity of ZnWO₄ films are dependent on preparation factors, such as the ratio of precursor/PEG and the annealing conditions. The formation mechanism of porous ZnWO₄ films was proposed. The porous ZnWO₄ films exhibited high photocatalytic activities towards degrading RhB. The top of valence band and the bottom of the conduction band was estimated to be −0.56 and 3.45 eV (vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE)), respectively.