Tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanostructures were synthesized by
hydrothermal method using sodium tungstate (Na2WO4·2H2O) alone
as starting material, and sodium tungstate in presence of
ferrous ammonium sulfate [(NH4)2Fe(SO4)2·6H2O] or cobalt
chloride (CoCl2·6H2O) as structure-directing agents.
Orthorhombic WO3having a rectangular slab-like morphology was
obtained when Na2WO4·2H2O was used alone. When ferrous ammonium
sulfate and cobalt chloride were added to sodium tungstate,
hexagonal WO3nanowire clusters and hexagonal WO3nanorods were
obtained, respectively. The crystal structure and orientation of
the synthesized products were studied by X-ray diffraction
(XRD), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and high-resolution
transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and their chemical
composition was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy
(XPS). The optical properties of the synthesized products were
verified by UV–Vis and photoluminescence studies. A
photodegradation study on Procion Red MX 5B was also carried
out, showin