Rhodomine B dye removal and inhibitory effect on B. subtilis and S. aureus by WOx nanoparticles

Visible-light-driven wide bandgap semiconductor photocatalysts were commonly developed via doping or coupling with another narrow bandgap metal oxide. However, these approaches required extra processing. The aim of study was to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of narrow bandgap $WO_x$ nanoparticles. A mixture of $WO_2$ and $WO_3$ nanoparticles were synthesized using solution precipitation technique. The photodegradation of RhB by these nanoparticles more effective in UV light than in visible light. In antibacterial susceptibility assay, $WO_x$ nanoparticles demonstrated good antibacterial against Gram-positive bacteria. The cell wall of bacterial was the main determinant in antibacterial effect other than $W^{4+}/W^{6+}$ ions and ROS.