A novel green approach for the synthesis of tungsten oxide nanorods and its efficient potential towards photocatalytic degradation of reactive green 19 dye

To develop the benign and effective means for the alleviation of industrial grade toxic organic dyes from the fresh water resources is a daunting challenge. In this regard, the current work demonstrates a novel, eco-friendly and cost-effective method for synthesis of tungsten oxide nanorods (WO3 NRs) using Psidium Guajava leaf extract for photocatalytic applications. Structural and optical characterization confirmed the formation of nanorods with 40-50 nm length and 10-15 nm diameter. The photocatalytic degradation of reactive green 19 (RG 19) dye was carried out under sunlight and its degradation efficiency and apparent rate constant (K'(app)) of the reaction was calculated to be 95.5% and 0.036 min(-1) respectively. Thus, these nanorods hold prodigious potential as an efficient green photocatalyst for dye degradation.