Ethylene glycol-assisted solvothermal fabrication of ZnWO4 nanostructures with tunable size,optical properties,and photocatalytic activities

Large scale of uniform small ZnWO₄ nanocrystals and ZnWO₄ nanorods with tunable size have been fabricated in ethylene glycol (EG)-assisted solvothermal process, ZnWO₄ samples ranging in shape from tiny nanocrystals to nanorods were dependent on the volume ratio of EG and water (H₂O). The optical properties of ZnWO₄ nanocrystals and nanorods were investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, showing longer ZnWO₄ nanorods own the increased PL intensity in comparison with that of shorter ones and small ZnWO₄ nanocrystals. The photocatalytic performance of ZnWO₄ nanostructures was studied also, which indicated that the increased size of ZnWO₄ nanorods resulted the degradation of photocatalytic performance in aqueous solution.