One-step in situ synthesis of graphene–TiO{sub 2} nanorod hybrid composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

Journal Article · Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2015 · Materials Research Bulletin

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATERRESBULL.2014.10.040· OSTI ID:22420767

Sun, Mingxuan; Li, Weibin; Sun, Shanfu; He, Jia; Zhang, Qiang; Shi, Yuying

Chemically bonded graphene/TiO{sub 2} nanorod hybrid composites with superior dispersity were synthesized by a one-step in situ hydrothermal method using graphene oxide (GO) and TiO{sub 2} (P25) as the starting materials. The as-prepared samples were characterized by XRD, XPS, TEM, FE-SEM, EDX, Raman, N{sub 2} adsorption, and UV–vis DRS techniques. Enhanced light absorption and a red shift of absorption edge were observed for the composites in the ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS). Their effective photocatalytic activity was evaluated by the photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation. An enhancement of photocatalytic performance was observed over graphene/TiO{sub 2} nanorod hybrid composite photocatalysts, as 3.7 times larger than that of pristine TiO{sub 2} nanorods. This work demonstrated that the synthesis of TiO{sub 2} nanorods and simultaneous conversion of GO to graphene “without using reducing agents” had shown to be a rapid, direct and clean approach to fabricate chemically bonded graphene/TiO{sub 2} nanorod hybrid composites with enhanced photocatalytic performance.

• OSTI ID: 22420767
• Journal Information: Materials Research Bulletin, Vol. 61; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0025-5408
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ADSORPTION
CARBON OXIDES
CHEMICAL BONDS
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
GRAPHENE
HYDROTHERMAL SYNTHESIS
IRRADIATION
METHYLENE BLUE
NANOSTRUCTURES
PHOTOCATALYSIS
RED SHIFT
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE
TITANIUM OXIDES
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
VISIBLE RADIATION
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY