BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite: enhanced photocatalytic activity as well as improved electrode performance

Abstract

Herein, we reported the preparation of BaTiO3 nanoparticles and BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite by sol-gel route and microwave assisted co-precipitation method respectively. A series of analysis such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible absorption, photocatalytic activity, photoluminescence and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method were employed to determine the properties of prepared samples. The dielectric properties of BaTiO3 nanoparticles and BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite were studied at different frequencies and different temperatures. Photocatalytic performance of obtained BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite was evaluated via photocatalytic degradation process of methylene blue (MB) as a model dye under irradiation of visible light. The cumulative outcome of results indicated the superior performance of BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite as photocatalyst when compared with pure BaTiO3 nanoparticles, which might be attributed to distensible surface area and effective separation of photo-excited electron-hole pairs. Our findings demonstrate that the prepared nanocomposite as reported here may be utilized as photocatalyst for degrading organic pollutants and as electrode in charge storage devices.