Synergetic adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of pollutants over 3D TiO-graphene aerogel composites synthesized a facile one-pot route

• Published in: Photochemical & photobiological sciences 2016-08, Vol.15 (8), p.112-119
• Main Authors: Zhang, Jing-Jie, Wu, Yu-Hui, Mei, Jin-Ya, Zheng, Guang-Ping, Yan, Ting-Ting, Zheng, Xiu-Cheng, Liu, Pu, Guan, Xin-Xin
• Format: Article
• ISSN: 1474-905X; 1474-9092
• DOI: 10.1039/c6pp00133e

A series of composites consisting of anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals and three-dimensional (3D) graphene aerogel (TiO 2 -GA) were self-assembled directly from tetrabutyl titanate and graphene oxides via a one-pot hydrothermal process. TiO 2 was found to uniformly distribute inside the 3D network of GA in the resulting composites with large surface areas ( S BET > 125 m 2 g −1 ) and high pore volumes ( V p > 0.22 cm 3 g −1 ). In comparison with GA and TiO 2 , the composites possessed much higher adsorption capacities and visible light photocatalytic activity in the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). With an initial concentration of 20.0 mg L −1 of RhB, the adsorptive decolourization of RhB was as high as 95.1% and the total decolourization value reached up to 98.7% under visible light irradiation over 5.0 mg of the resulting composites. It was elucidated that the physical and chemical properties of the TiO 2 -GA composites could be ascribed to their unique 3D nanoporous structure with high surface areas and the synergetic activities of graphene nanosheets and TiO 2 nanoparticles. A series of 3D TiO 2 -GA composites were successfully self-assembled, which exhibited excellent adsorption capacities and visible light photocatalytic activity in the degradation of RhB.