ÉLABORATION DE PHOTOCATALYSEUR A BASE DE TUNGSTATE DE CUIVRE (CuWO4). APPLICATION A LA PHOTODÉGRADATION DU BLEU DE MÉTHYLÈNE EN MILIEU AQUEUX.

Abstract

The main objective of this study is the synthesis and characterization of copper tungstate (CuWO₄), as well as the evaluation of its photocatalytic properties toward the degradation of methylene blue.The CuWO₄ compound was prepared using a simple and cost-effective method known as soft chemistry.Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis enabled the identification of the characteristic chemical bonds, corresponding to the deformation of O–W–O bonds and the stretching vibrations of Cu–O bonds.Structural analyses carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) allowed for precise identification of the formed crystalline phases. The crystallite sizes estimated using the Debye–Scherrer equation revealed the nanometric nature of CuWO₄, with an average size of about 42 nm.In the presence of this photocatalyst, the degradation rate of methylene blue can reach up to 86%, following a first-order reaction kinetics.