Sunlight driven photocatalytic water splitting using nanostructured bismuth tungstate (Bi2WO6)

Sunlight driven photocatalytic water splitting properties of nanosized Bi2WO6 have been demonstrated. Upon the structural confirmation using XRD and Raman studies, the band edge offset deduced from UV-DRS spectra showed that the energy band structure of Bi2WO6 is manifested due to electronic transition in the hybridized orbital of Bi6s and O2p to the W5d orbital. The observed Bi2WO6 nanoparticulates-assisted H2 generation from glycerol-water mixture may be attributed to the following two competitive phenomena: (i) the photocatalytic degradation of glycerol and (ii) photocatalytic splitting of water molecules, where glycerol acts as a sacrificial agent. This study sheds lights on the photocatalytic reformation of contaminated aqueous ecosystems as a green resource to produce hydrogen energy.