Bifunctional Photocatalytic and Magnetic Properties Inducing Effect of Cs Ions on WO₃ Structure

Abstract

WO 3 has been highlighted as a promising material as photochromic and photocatalytic industrial application. Even though many papers reported their interesting properties, it has been rarely reported bifunctional performances. In this study, we demonstrate the effect of Cs ions on the crystal structure of WO 3 for inducing bifunctional photocatalytic and magnetic properties. Hexagonal Cs-doped WO 3 nanoparticles were prepared via a two-step approach. Chemical coprecipitation was conducted using ammonium tungstate and Cs 2 CO 3 in acidic media. Subsequently, the nanoparticles were annealed at a low temperature under N 2 flow. The prepared WO 3 nanoparticles doped with 0.5 Cs exhibit enhanced adsorption ability and photocatalytic activity compared those doped with different amounts of Cs. The addition of Cs to WO 3 modifies the electronic structure of the material, resulting in an increased number of unpaired electrons that can be used to couple magnetic moments. The results confirm that introducing Cs dopants into WO 3 leads to bifunctional optical and electrical characteristics of WO 3 . It is expected that current work contributes bifunctional performances in an industrial application.