Role of fullerene to improve the WO 3 performance for photocatalytic applications and hydrogen evolution

Summary Highly efficient and stable fullerene‐WO 3 composites were prepared through hydrothermal method for photocatalytic applications and evolution of green hydrogen energy under visible light irradiation. The prepared nanostructures were characterized through scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffractometer, energy‐dispersive X‐ray, Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller, ultraviolet‐visible spectrometer, and photoluminescence spectroscopy to investigate morphological, structural, elemental composition, surface area, and optical properties of prepared samples. The presence of fullerene in WO 3 could tune the morphology, crystallographic structure, and optical properties of the as‐prepared nanostructures. The highest photocatalytic activity was achieved at 4% fullerene contents; however, further increase in doping contents may lead to lower photocatalytic performance. The improved photocatalytic performance was attributed to 3 factors, namely, (1) higher surface area, (2) extended visible light region, and (3) inhibited recombination losses.