Tungsten oxide hydrate (WO3.H2O) nanoplates were in situ functionalized with AgNO3 via a one-step acid precipitation method at room temperature. The functionalized product was the nanocomposite of Ag2WO4 and WO3.H2O. Both pristine and functionalized samples had nanoplate morphology. The nanoplates’ dimension and uniformity decreased with the increase in the AgNO3 amount, resulting in increased specific surface area. The AgNO3 functionalization supported a growth via the orthorhombic WO3.H2O structure, caused a change in the dominant facet from (020) to (111), lessened the micro-strain, and enhanced the photocatalytic activity of samples under visible-light irradiation (λ ≥ 450 nm). The samples functionalized with 5 mass % of AgNO3 showed the highest methylene blue degradation efficiency of 49% and a degradation rate of 0.122 mg g−1 × min, which could be assigned to the largest specific surface area and the synergistic effect caused by the Ag2WO4@WO3.H2O junction. These results suggested a simple method for tailoring the dominant facet and morphology of WO3.H2O-based materials for visible-light-driven applications.
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