Multifunctional polyoxotungstocobaltate anchored fern-leaf like BiVO4 microstructures for enhanced photocatalytic and supercapacitive performance

In this study, a simple sonochemical approach for molecular anchoring of CoW12O40 [12-tungstocobaltate (II)] on fern-leaf like BiVO4 microstructures was employed. The various compositions were prepared by varying contents (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2% and 5%) of CoW12O40 (hereafter denoted as CoWO). The as-synthesized samples were characterized and confirmed by various physicochemical tools. Furthermore, the performance of resulting composites was tested toward visible light driven photocatalytic treatment of organic pollutants and supercapacitor. Among them, 1CoWO/BVO composites showed optimal performance as compared to other composites and bare fern-leaf like BiVO4. To be specific, the photocatalytic performance of 1CoWO/BVO showed 97% and 78% degradation of methylene blue dye (MB) and tetracycline drug (TC), respectively. Additionally, the reusability of optimal 1CoWO/BVO photocatalyst was confirmed by performing its five consecutive runs towards degradation of MB and TC. Moreover, 1CoWO/BVO electrode yielded the specific capacitance of 245 F g−1 at 2 mV/s scan rate, supporting its applicability as an efficient supercapacitor electrode. The synergistic effect of CoWO and BiVO4 dominated their bare counterparts towards photocatalytic as well as electrochemical performance. Thus, this work rationally opens up the avenues to employ POMs based novel hybrid materials for future environmental and energy storage application.