Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance of the Graphene-V₂O₅ Nanocomposite in the Degradation of Methylene Blue Dye under Direct Sunlight

Abstract

A simple and efficient solution mixing method has been developed for the synthesis of the G-V2O5 nanocomposite. By this method, one-dimensional V2O5 rods are decorated onto the two-dimensional graphene sheets. The synthesized nanocomposites are characterized by XRD, SEM with elemental mapping, TEM, FT-IR, Raman, BET, and XPS analyses. The photocatalytic activity of the G-V2O5 nanocomposite studied with methylene blue dye shows strong degradation efficiency with direct sunlight irradiation compared to UV and visible light sources. The mechanism of methylene blue dye degradation by the G-V2O5 nanocomposite has been elucidated through the kinetics of the degradation process by calculating the rate constant and half-life time of the degradation process.