A highly photoactive, visible-light-driven graphene/2D mesoporous TiO2 photocatalyst

Abstract

In this paper, we have reported a new, visible-light-driven photocatalyst composed of 2D mesoporous TiO₂ on reduced graphene oxide, which enables enhanced absorption of visible light, showing outstanding charge separation ability and a large surface area. Graphene–2D mesoporous TiO₂ (GOMTi) was prepared via a simple hydrothermal process by ternary self-assembly of metal oxide precursors, graphene oxide, and a surfactant. The structural strength and large interfacial contact between the graphene and two dimensional TiO₂ sheet lead to a high performance photocatalyst, as compared to a conventional graphene–TiO₂ nanostructure composite. In the test for degradation of methylene blue, the photodegradation rate of GOMTi was ∼9 times higher than the rate of common TiO₂ nanoparticles (p25), due to the enhanced synergetic effects of graphene and TiO₂.