Crumpled reduced graphene oxide–amine–titanium dioxide nanocomposites for simultaneous carbon dioxide adsorption and photoreduction

Yao Nie; Wei-Ning Wang; Yi Jiang; John Fortner; Pratim Biswas

doi:10.1039/C6CY00828C

Crumpled reduced graphene oxide–amine–titanium dioxide nanocomposites for simultaneous carbon dioxide adsorption and photoreduction

Yao Nie,^a Wei-Ning Wang,^a^b Yi Jiang,^a John Fortner^a and Pratim Biswas*^a

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* Corresponding authors

^a Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA
E-mail: pbiswas@wustl.edu

^b Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA

Abstract

Crumpled reduced graphene oxide–amine–titanium dioxide nanocomposites (CGOATI) were synthesized by an one-step aerosol technique to enable simultaneous carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorption and photoreduction. Graphene oxide (GO), chemically modified by ethylenediamine (EDA), was crumpled using an aerosol process, encapsulating TiO₂ nanoparticles to form core–shell nanostructures. The three-dimensional (3D) structure largely prevented the crumpled graphene nanosheets from restacking by minimizing π–π interactions, thus enhancing the stability of the catalyst by retaining its higher surface area. A combination of a 20% mass percentage of TiO₂/GO, a 15 : 1 mass ratio of EDA/GO in precursor solution, and a 200 °C synthesis temperature led to the highest CO yield (65 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹, with an apparent quantum efficiency of 0.0094%), which was two-fold higher than that of crumpled reduced GO–TiO₂ (CGOTI) and four-fold higher than that of TiO₂ alone. The enhancement of CO₂ photoreduction was attributed to higher CO₂ adsorption on the amine-functionalized reduced-GO (r-GO) surface and the strong electron trapping capability of r-GO. The insertion of EDA on r-GO nanosheets, the adsorption of CO₂ by amine groups, and the photoreduction of the adsorbed CO₂ were confirmed by FTIR and XPS spectra analysis. The r-GO nanosheets themselves were simultaneously photoreduced during CO₂ photoreduction. Raman spectroscopy and conductivity measurements showed that photoreduced r-GO had a higher electronic conductivity than thermally reduced r-GO, and led to more effective CO₂ photoreduction. This study offers new insights into the design and fabrication of graphene-based photocatalysts for CO₂ photoreduction.

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Publication details

The article was received on 14 Apr 2016, accepted on 09 Jun 2016 and first published on 10 Jun 2016

Article type: Paper

DOI: 10.1039/C6CY00828C

Citation: Catal. Sci. Technol., 2016,6, 6187-6196

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Crumpled reduced graphene oxide–amine–titanium dioxide nanocomposites for simultaneous carbon dioxide adsorption and photoreduction

Y. Nie, W. Wang, Y. Jiang, J. Fortner and P. Biswas, Catal. Sci. Technol., 2016, 6, 6187
DOI: 10.1039/C6CY00828C
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Catalysis Science & Technology

Crumpled reduced graphene oxide–amine–titanium dioxide nanocomposites for simultaneous carbon dioxide adsorption and photoreduction

Abstract

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Crumpled reduced graphene oxide–amine–titanium dioxide nanocomposites for simultaneous carbon dioxide adsorption and photoreduction

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