Controllable synthesis of TiO2 chemically bonded graphene for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and dye degradation

• Published in: Catalysis today 2020-01, Vol.340, p.170-177
• Main Authors: Kumar, K. Yogesh, Saini, Himani, Pandiarajan, D., Prashanth, M.K., Parashuram, L., Raghu, M.S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemically bonded G-TiO2 composite; Dye degradation; Hydrogen evolution; Photocatalysis
• ISSN: 0920-5861; 1873-4308
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2018.10.042

[Display omitted] •Controllable synthesis of graphene chemically bonded to TiO2.•G-TiO2 showed 3.85 mmol g−1 of H2 through water splitting reaction.•Evans Blue dye becomes colorless for a period of 60 min of irradiation with solar light.•Mechanism of H2 evolution and dye degradation is discussed. The present work deals with preparation of graphene chemically bonded to TiO2 film (G-TiO2), which gives rise to Ti-O-C bond pattern. The structural and morphological properties of the synthesized G-TiO2 nanocomposite were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrospcopy, SEM, TEM, EDAX and Atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Observable increase in the activity of chemically bonded G-TiO2 catalyst for photochemical H2 evolution and degradation of Evans blue (EB) after solar light irradiation due to efficient migration photo-induced electrons and electrostatic interaction between G and TiO2 coating. G-TiO2 shows enhanced catalytic activity with the liberation of 3.85 mmol g−1 of H2 through water splitting reaction as compared to 0.76 mmol g−1 of H2 evolution for standard P25. It becomes completely colorless for a period of 60 min of irradiation with solar light and shows respectable catalytic activity even after recycling it five times. The G-TiO2 composite is a non-toxic, stable, economical material that can be applied in photocatalytic applications.