Enhanced photocatalytic performance of graphene–ZnO nanoplatelet composite thin films prepared by electrostatic spray deposition

Abstract

Graphene–ZnO (G–ZnO) composite thin films were produced using the electrostatic spray deposition technique (ESD). The effects of the concentration of graphene and annealing temperature on the structural and photocatalytic properties of the G–ZnO films were studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and UV–visible spectroscopy. We demonstrated that the G–ZnO films exhibit enhanced activities towards the photodegradation of methylene blue dye. A G–ZnO film with 0.1wt% graphene that was annealed at 300°C showed the highest photo-degradation activity. We found that the incorporation of graphene reduced electron–hole recombination in the ZnO film.