Simple synthesis and characterization of zinc tungstate nanoparticles with the aid of surfactants and investigation of its photocatalyst application

In this paper, zinc tungstate (ZnWO4) nanoparticles were synthesized via a simple precipitation method based on the reaction between zinc (II) nitrate hexahydrate and sodium tungstate dihydrate in water. Besides, three surfactant such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonates were used to investigate their effects on the morphology and particle size of zinc tungstate nanoparticles. According to the vibrating sample magnetometer, zinc tungstate nanoparticles indicated a ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. In addition, the photocatalyst activity of as-prepared zinc tungstate nanoparticles was evaluated by degradation of methyl orange under ultraviolet light irradiation. The structural, morphological, and optical properties of as-obtained products were characterized by techniques such as XRD, SEM, EDX, and UV-vis spectroscopy.