Progress in Graphene/Metal Oxide Composite Photocatalysts for Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Abstract

The sewage discharge of industrial wastewater seriously pollutes the water source and rivers, which is very harmful to the health of humans and wildlife. Among those methods for treating wastewater, photocatalysis is a sustainable and environmental-friendly technique for removing the organic pollutants with no secondary pollution. As a popular photocatalyst, graphene/metal oxide nanocomposites have been widely reported in the photocatalysis field. In this review, the recent progress of graphene/metal oxide composites including binary and ternary composites is summarized in detail. The synthesis, microstructure design, and application performance of graphene/TiO2, graphene/ZnO, graphene/SnO2, graphene/WO3, graphene/Fe2O3, and graphene/Cu2O composites are introduced firstly. Then, the synthesis, the selection of components, and the performance of various ternary composites are summarized specifically, including graphene/TiO2-, graphene/ZnO-, graphene/SnO2-, graphene/Cu2O-, graphene/FexOy-, and graphene/Bi-containing ternary composites. At last, the possible research directions of graphene/metal oxide nanocomposites are put forward. The main purpose is to provide a theoretical guidance for designing high-performance graphene/metal oxide photocatalysts for wastewater treatment.