Enhanced photocatalytic properties of graphene modified few-layered WSe2 nanosheets

Abstract

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) modified few-layered WSe2 nanosheets have been synthesized through a facile one-pot solvothermal reaction. Compared with bare WSe2 nanosheets with relatively poor photocatalytic activity, WSe2/RGO composite demonstrates significant enhancement in photocatalytic degradation of organic dye RhB under visible light irradiation. The k value of WSe2/RGO is ∼1.9 times larger than that of bare WSe2 nanosheets, which is attributed to the excellent charge separation feature and electronic transport ability of graphene nanosheets, leading to highly reduced electron-hole pair recombination of graphene on WSe2 nanosheets thus strongly enhancing the photocatalytic performance. The WSe2/RGO composite is a promising catalyst for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants by solar energy.