UV light assisted synthesis of ternary reduced graphene oxide hybrid materials and their photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Freely-assembled ternary hybrids consisting of Pt, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and P25 were synthesized by a direct solution process with the assistance of UV light. The Pt–RGO/P25 hybrids were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectra (PL). Importantly, when Pt–RGO/P25 hybrids were used as photocatalysts, they could show a superior photocatalytic performance when compared to commercial P25 and RGO/P25 hybrids under UV, solar light and λ > 600 nm visible light irradiation, which could be explained on the basis of the plasmonic response and the formation of Pt Schottky barrier at the interface between TiO₂ and graphene. This work could provide new insight for enhancing graphene/TiO₂ photocatalytic performance and facilitate their application in environmental protection.