Precipitation Synthesis, Characterization, Morphological Control, and Photocatalyst Application of ZnWO4 Nanoparticles

Zinc tungstate nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized by a precipitation method in the presence of different polymeric surfactants. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different solvents and polymeric surfactants such as carboxymethyl cellulose, polyethylene glycol, and polyvinyl alcohol on the morphology, particle size, and crystal structure of the final product. The as-synthesized products were characterized by powder x-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy techniques. Furthermore, the hysteresis loop of the zinc tungstate nanoparticles at room temperature revealed paramagnetic behavior. Photocatalysis results revealed that maximum methyl orange decolorization of 85% was achieved with ZnWO4 nanoparticles in 240 min under visible-light irradiation. The saturation magnetization, remanent magnetization, and coercivity of the ZnWO4 nanoparticles were 0.003 emu/g, 0.0005 emu/g, and 110 Oe, respectively.