163266 20251024172258.0 doi 10.1021/acsomega.5c07938 sideral 145695 ART-2025-145695 eng Boix, Raúl (orcid)0000-0003-3255-3227 Issues of Using Benzyl Ether in Nanomaterials’ Synthesis: Insights for a Standardized Synthesis of FeWO_<i>x</i> Nanocrystals and Their Use as Photocatalysts 2025 The synthesis of nonstoichiometric FeWOx nanocrystals via thermal decomposition in benzyl ether has been systematically optimized, addressing reproducibility issues typically associated with this solvent. A key finding of this work is the identification of benzoic acid, a benzyl ether oxidation byproduct, as a necessary ligand for stabilizing tungsten intermediates and enabling consistent FeWOx formation. The optimized protocol allows fine-tuning of the Fe/W atomic ratio, leading to a series of materials with tailored stoichiometry, surface properties, and electronic structure. Fe1.5WOx, Fe1.0WOx, and Fe0.1WOx have been selected as representative examples of materials with Fe excess, slight Fe excess, and an Fe/W ratio close to 1. Among them, Fe0.1WOx exhibited the best photocatalytic performance in the degradation of rifampicin under simulated solar irradiation, achieving a 67% degradation within 150 min and displaying a kinetic rate constant (0.0076 min–1) three times higher than the other compositions. This superior activity is attributed to its reduced band gap (1.45 eV) and favorable band-edge positions. Scavenger experiments confirmed that holes and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are the main reactive species involved in the degradation process. These findings provide key insights for designing reproducible benzyl ether-based syntheses and demonstrate the potential of FeWOx nanomaterials for photocatalytic water treatment applications. Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/CEX2023-001286-S info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2023-150574NB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/MICIU/FPU19-01935 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/ICTS NANBIOSIS-CIBER-BBN info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/UZ2023-IyA-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Lobera, M. Pilar Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-2436-1041 Bernechea, María (orcid)0000-0003-2800-6845 5005 555 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Ing.Quím.Tecnol.Med.Amb. Área Ingeniería Química 10, 40 (2025), 47609-47622 ACS Omega ACS OMEGA 2470-1343 5082642 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/163266/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 3269469 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/163266/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:163266 articulos driver 2025-10-24-16:56:05 ARTICLE