Fabrication of hierarchical flower-like WO nanoparticles for effective metal ions sensing and catalytic degradation of organic dyes.

In this work, we report on the synthesis of flower-like tungsten oxide nanoparticles (WO NPs) using a simple precipitation method. This paper reports a simple method for synthesizing flower-like WO NPs, which can be used for environmentally treating hazardous organic pollutants. The photocatalytic degradation of model artificial Orange II and Congo red was assessed under natural sunlight irradiation. The surface morphologies, crystallinity, and binding energy of the synthesized WO NPs were determined. The synthesized WO NPs exhibited good photodegradation percentages of approximately Orange II (97.6%) and Congo red dye (98.2%) after 120 min of irradiation. Furthermore, the WO NPs maintained their degradation ability for up to three cycles. In addition, WO NPs were examined in different metal ions sensing (Hg, Fe, Cu, Ni, and Cd) in an aqueous solution. The results showed that the WO NPs exhibited excellent Cd ion sensing. Based on the investigations, WO NPs proved to be an efficient photocatalyst and hold promise as the best material for future applications in preventing water pollution.