Abstract
In this study, graphene-TiO2 nanocomposites at varying composition of graphene oxide were prepared following hydrothermal method. In order to optimize the composition and time of degradation, photocatalytic efficiency was studied for the composition range 1–10 wt% of graphene oxide. The nanocomposites exhibited good visible light photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Methyl Orange in all the composition range studied. The 10 wt% graphene-TiO2 found to exhibit photocatalytic degradation of 98% Methyl Orange in 75 min which was 2.5 fold higher than pristine TiO2 nanoparticles. The band gap of the composites were found to decrease continuously from 3.0 to 2.5 eV, indicating marked red-shift in absorbance spectrum with increased graphene oxide. The enhanced photocatalytic efficiency of composite in comparison to pristine TiO2 demonstrates corresponding visible light active nature of photocatalysis. We attribute this to the synergetic effect of reduced the electron-hole pairs recombination enabled by graphene oxide intercalation, increased surface area, and creation of more reaction active sites.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
M.R. Hoffmann, S.T. Martin, W.Y. Choi, D.W. Bahnemann, Environmental applications of semiconductor photocatalysis. Chem. Rev. 95, 69–96 (1995). doi:10.1021/cr00033a004
V. Raja, L. Shiamala, K. Alamelu, B.M.J. Ali, A study on the free radical generation and photocatalytic yield in extended surfaces of visible light active TiO2 compounds. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 152, 125–132 (2016). doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2016.03.008
Q.J. Xiang, J.G. Yu, M. Jaroniec, Graphene-based semiconductor photocatalysts. Chem. Soc. Rev. 41, 782–796 (2012). doi:10.1039/C1CS15172J
S. Bai, X.P. Shen, Graphene–inorganic nanocomposites. RSC Adv. 2, 64–98 (2012). doi:10.1039/C1RA00260K
N.I. Kovtyukhova, P.J. Ollivier, B.R. Martin, T.E. Mallouk, S.A. Chizhik, E.V. Buzaneva, A.D. Gorchinskiy, Layer-by-layer assembly of ultrathin composite films from micron-sized graphite oxide sheets and polycations. Chem. Mater. 11, 771–778 (1999). doi:10.1021/cm981085u
L. Sun, Z.L. Zhao, Y.C. Zhou, L. Liu, Anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with exposed 001 facets on graphene sheets via molecular grafting for enhanced photocatalytic activity. Nanoscale 4, 613–620 (2012). doi:10.1039/c1nr11411e
N. Yang, The Preparation of Nano Composites and Their Applications in Solar Energy Conversion (Nature springer, 2017)
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF) of Pondicherry University for the instrumentation facilities availed. The author K.A acknowledges the MNRE-National Renewable Energy Fellowship, for their financial support.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Alamelu, K., Jaffar Ali, B.M. (2018). Graphene-TiO2 Photocatalyst for Efficient Sunlight-Driven Degradation of Methyl Orange. In: Anand, G., Pandey, J., Rana, S. (eds) Nanotechnology for Energy and Water . ICNEW 2017. Springer Proceedings in Energy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63085-4_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63085-4_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63084-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63085-4
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)