Next Article in Journal
High-Density Aviation Fuel or Diesel-Range Naphthenes Are Synthesized from Biomass-Derived Isophorone and Furfural
Next Article in Special Issue
Production of Methane and Ethane with Photoreduction of CO2 Using Nanomaterials of TiO2 (Anatase–Brookite) Modifications with Cobalt
Previous Article in Journal
DFT Insights into Ru3 Clusters on Pristine and Defective Anatase TiO2 (101) Covering Structural Stability Electronic Modifications and Photocatalytic Implications
Previous Article in Special Issue
Development of TiO2 Films by Sol–Gel/Sedimentation for the Inactivation of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium in Greywater
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Catalysts
Volume 16
Issue 1
10.3390/catal16010082
catalysts-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Effects of WO3 Amount and Treatment Temperature on TiO2-ZrO2-WO3 Photocatalysts Used in the Solar Photocatalytic Oxidation of Sildenafil

by
Jhatziry Hernández Sierra
1,
Jorge Cortez Elizalde
1,
José Gilberto Torres Torres
1,*,
Adib Abiu Silahua Pavón
1,
Adrian Cervantes Uribe
1,
Adrian Cordero García
1,
Zenaida Guerra Que
2,
Gerardo Enrique Córdova Pérez
3,
Israel Rangel Vázquez
4 and
Juan Carlos Arevalo Perez
1,*
1
Centro de Investigación de Ciencia y Tecnología Aplicada de Tabasco, División Académica de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Cunduacán 86690, Mexico
2
Laboratorio de Investigación 1 Área de Nanotecnología, Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Villahermosa, Km. 3.5 Carretera Villahermosa–Frontera, Cd. Industrial, Villahermosa 86010, Mexico
3
Centro Avanzado de Pruebas Analíticas no Destructivas, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla 72570, Mexico
4
División de Ciencias Naturales y Exactas, Departamento de Química, Campus Guanajuato de la Universidad de Guanajuato, Noria Alta s/n, Col. Noria Alta, Gto, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Catalysts 2026, 16(1), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010082
Submission received: 24 December 2025 / Revised: 6 January 2026 / Accepted: 9 January 2026 / Published: 10 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Photocatalytic Degradation, 2nd Edition)
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

TiO2 shows improved photocatalytic properties when combined with other oxides, such as ZrO2. Unfortunately, this material does not exhibit a spectral response in the visible range, but this can be improved by adding WO3. Here, the effect of the amount of WO3 and the treatment temperature on TiO2-ZrO2-WO3 materials applied in the solar photocatalytic oxidation of sildenafil was evaluated. The materials were synthesized using the sol–gel method and were characterized by N2, XRD, UV-Vis RDS, SEM, PL, and XPS. Photocatalytic activity was determined by the degradation and mineralization of sildenafil. The most active photocatalysts were selected for stability testing and to determine the oxidizing species that dominate the reaction mechanism. The optimal amount of WO3 that improves solar photocatalytic activity at both treatment temperatures was found to be 1% with a reaction mechanism based on OH· and h+. WO3 reduces electron–hole pair recombination. At 500 °C, the crystallinity of the anatase phase is improved, while at 800 °C, the transformation to rutile is suppressed at low WO3 concentrations. XPS observed the reduction in Ti4+ to Ti3+ and W6+ to W5+ in TiO2–ZrO2–WO3 materials, which were found to be photoactive under sunlight with potential for use in industrial-scale reaction systems.
Keywords: TiO2-ZrO2-WO3; sildenafil; sunlight; photocatalytic oxidation; ZrTiO4 TiO2-ZrO2-WO3; sildenafil; sunlight; photocatalytic oxidation; ZrTiO4

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Hernández Sierra, J.; Cortez Elizalde, J.; Torres Torres, J.G.; Silahua Pavón, A.A.; Cervantes Uribe, A.; Cordero García, A.; Guerra Que, Z.; Córdova Pérez, G.E.; Rangel Vázquez, I.; Arevalo Perez, J.C. Effects of WO3 Amount and Treatment Temperature on TiO2-ZrO2-WO3 Photocatalysts Used in the Solar Photocatalytic Oxidation of Sildenafil. Catalysts 2026, 16, 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010082

AMA Style

Hernández Sierra J, Cortez Elizalde J, Torres Torres JG, Silahua Pavón AA, Cervantes Uribe A, Cordero García A, Guerra Que Z, Córdova Pérez GE, Rangel Vázquez I, Arevalo Perez JC. Effects of WO3 Amount and Treatment Temperature on TiO2-ZrO2-WO3 Photocatalysts Used in the Solar Photocatalytic Oxidation of Sildenafil. Catalysts. 2026; 16(1):82. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010082

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hernández Sierra, Jhatziry, Jorge Cortez Elizalde, José Gilberto Torres Torres, Adib Abiu Silahua Pavón, Adrian Cervantes Uribe, Adrian Cordero García, Zenaida Guerra Que, Gerardo Enrique Córdova Pérez, Israel Rangel Vázquez, and Juan Carlos Arevalo Perez. 2026. "Effects of WO3 Amount and Treatment Temperature on TiO2-ZrO2-WO3 Photocatalysts Used in the Solar Photocatalytic Oxidation of Sildenafil" Catalysts 16, no. 1: 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010082

APA Style

Hernández Sierra, J., Cortez Elizalde, J., Torres Torres, J. G., Silahua Pavón, A. A., Cervantes Uribe, A., Cordero García, A., Guerra Que, Z., Córdova Pérez, G. E., Rangel Vázquez, I., & Arevalo Perez, J. C. (2026). Effects of WO3 Amount and Treatment Temperature on TiO2-ZrO2-WO3 Photocatalysts Used in the Solar Photocatalytic Oxidation of Sildenafil. Catalysts, 16(1), 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal16010082

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop