{"title":"Surfactant-tuned Bi₂WO₆ nanostructures for degradation of organic pollutants","authors":"S. Keerthana, C. Mahendran","doi":"10.1007/s10971-026-07161-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆ nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method employing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to modulate crystal growth, morphology, and functional efficiency. X-ray diffraction (XRD) verified the formation of pure orthorhombic Bi₂WO₆ with crystallite sizes ranging from 18 to 28 nm, depending on the surfactant used. Surface morphology analysis via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed distinct structural variations, with PVP-assisted Bi₂WO₆ displaying a uniform flower-like architecture. The optimised hydrothermal conditions, particularly the use of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), played a crucial role in achieving the flower-like Bi₂WO₆ morphology. Elemental composition was verified using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), while Raman spectroscopy confirmed the stability of the WO₆ octahedral framework. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identified the oxidation states of Bi³⁺, W⁶⁺, and O²⁻, further validating the chemical structure. Optical characterisation by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed visible-light responsiveness, with bandgap energies ranging from 2.60 to 2.78 eV. Among all variants, PVP-mediated Bi₂WO₆ demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic activity, achieving ~94% degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light in 50 minutes. Furthermore, it demonstrated significant antibacterial activity, making it a promising candidate for environmental remediation. The enhanced performance is attributed to improved morphology, efficient charge separation, and a narrowed bandgap.</p><h3>Graphical Abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":664,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","volume":"118 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.2000,"publicationDate":"2026-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10971-026-07161-9.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology","FirstCategoryId":"88","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10971-026-07161-9","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MATERIALS SCIENCE, CERAMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Hierarchical Bi₂WO₆ nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method employing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) to modulate crystal growth, morphology, and functional efficiency. X-ray diffraction (XRD) verified the formation of pure orthorhombic Bi₂WO₆ with crystallite sizes ranging from 18 to 28 nm, depending on the surfactant used. Surface morphology analysis via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed distinct structural variations, with PVP-assisted Bi₂WO₆ displaying a uniform flower-like architecture. The optimised hydrothermal conditions, particularly the use of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), played a crucial role in achieving the flower-like Bi₂WO₆ morphology. Elemental composition was verified using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), while Raman spectroscopy confirmed the stability of the WO₆ octahedral framework. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) identified the oxidation states of Bi³⁺, W⁶⁺, and O²⁻, further validating the chemical structure. Optical characterisation by ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed visible-light responsiveness, with bandgap energies ranging from 2.60 to 2.78 eV. Among all variants, PVP-mediated Bi₂WO₆ demonstrated exceptional photocatalytic activity, achieving ~94% degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light in 50 minutes. Furthermore, it demonstrated significant antibacterial activity, making it a promising candidate for environmental remediation. The enhanced performance is attributed to improved morphology, efficient charge separation, and a narrowed bandgap.
期刊介绍：
The primary objective of the Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology (JSST), the official journal of the International Sol-Gel Society, is to provide an international forum for the dissemination of scientific, technological, and general knowledge about materials processed by chemical nanotechnologies known as the "sol-gel" process. The materials of interest include gels, gel-derived glasses, ceramics in form of nano- and micro-powders, bulk, fibres, thin films and coatings as well as more recent materials such as hybrid organic-inorganic materials and composites. Such materials exhibit a wide range of optical, electronic, magnetic, chemical, environmental, and biomedical properties and functionalities. Methods for producing sol-gel-derived materials and the industrial uses of these materials are also of great interest.
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