Advanced Fabrication of Chemically Bonded Graphene/TiO 2 Continuous Fibers with Enhanced Broadband Photocatalytic Properties and Involved Mechanisms Exploration

• Published in: Scientific reports 2016-12, Vol.6, p.38066
• Main Authors: Zhang, Qingzhe, Bao, Nan, Wang, Xinqiang, Hu, Xinde, Miao, Xinhan, Chaker, Mohamed, Ma, Dongling
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 2045-2322

In this article, a novel route for the synthesis of graphene/TiO continuous fibers (GTF) using force-spinning combined with water vapor annealing method is reported for the first time. The morphology, structure and optical properties of the composite were fully characterized. With a single step of heat treatment process using steam at ambient conditions, we were able to initiate a series of chemical reactions, such as reduction of graphene oxide (GO), crystallization of TiO , formation of C-Ti bond, and introduction of oxygen vacancies into TiO . The incorporation of graphene in TiO fibers facilitated bandgap narrowing and improved photo-induced charge separation in the photocatalyst. As a result of synergistic effects, TiO fibers-2 wt% graphene (2%GTF) showed the highest photocatalytic activities in the degradation of X-3B under UV irradiation, superior to the benchmark photocatalyst P25. Under visible light irradiation, the same catalyst was about 4 times more efficient compared to pure TiO fibers (PTF). A detailed study of involved active species (in particular, ·, h and ·OH) unraveled the mechanism regarding photocatalysis.