Enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) by reduced graphene oxide (RGO)–metal oxide (TiO2, ZnO and WO3) based nanocomposites

Abstract

We have successfully synthesized high-performance visible light photocatalytic activity of Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and metal oxide dependent binary (RGO/TiO2, RGO/ZnO, and RGO/WO3) nanocomposites (NCs) with improved adsorption characteristics using hydrothermal method. The titanium oxide (TiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and titanium oxide (WO3) are strongly anchored over RGO nanosheets in the microscopy images of the nanocomposites, which increases the surface area of the resulting NCs. The UV and PL findings show that combining RGO with metal oxides could increase the charger transfer process and organic pollutant absorption significantly. With varying irradiation times, the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and bisphenol A (BPA) contaminants was recorded under visible light (0–60 min). As compared to other binary photocatalysts, the RGO/TiO2 composite photocatalyst delivers a high photodegradation (98.5%), first order kinetic rate constant (0.9 × 10−3 min−1) and long lasting stability against BPA. The synthesis of the samples with outstanding properties collected herein has the potential to greatly extend the application possibilities for environmental energy system applications.