P25-Graphene Composite as a High Performance Photocatalyst

TLDR

The study aims to develop a TiO₂–graphene composite photocatalyst for efficient environmental remediation. A TiO₂ (P25)–graphene nanocomposite was synthesized via a one‑step hydrothermal method that chemically bonds graphene oxide to TiO₂. The resulting composite shows enhanced dye adsorption, broadened light absorption, efficient charge separation, and markedly faster methylene blue degradation than bare P25 or P25–CNTs.

Abstract

Herein we obtained a chemically bonded TiO2 (P25)-graphene nanocomposite photocatalyst with graphene oxide and P25, using a facile one-step hydrothermal method. During the hydrothermal reaction, both of the reduction of graphene oxide and loading of P25 were achieved. The as-prepared P25-graphene photocatalyst possessed great adsorptivity of dyes, extended light absorption range, and efficient charge separation properties simultaneously, which was rarely reported in other TiO2−carbon photocatalysts. Hence, in the photodegradation of methylene blue, a significant enhancement in the reaction rate was observed with P25-graphene, compared to the bare P25 and P25-CNTs with the same carbon content. Overall, this work could provide new insights into the fabrication of a TiO2−carbon composite as high performance photocatalysts and facilitate their application in the environmental protection issues.