Graphene-supported TiO2: study of promotion of charge carrier in photocatalytic water splitting and methylene blue dye degradation

Abstract

Hydrogen from water provides safe and alternative route for sustainable energy production. The present investigation reports the photocatalytic water splitting using rGO–TiO2 which efficiently promotes the conversion of solar energy to chemical energy through charge promotion activity. The catalyst was prepared by hydrothermal decomposition process and further characterized for its structural morphology, crystal structure, and photocatalytic properties. Incorporation of GO in the hybrid material found to shrink the band gap of the samples from 3.12 to 2.99 eV. Further, promotion of charge separation is confirmed from the quenching of the emission spectra of the material. The hybrid material with proportionate increment in GO content enhances the H2 production up to five times higher than pristine TiO2 material. The catalytic material with 1 wt% GO loading shows decay of methylene blue (MB) dye in aqueous solution at 0.07622 mmol/min. The hybrid material (rGO–TiO2) found to inhibit recombination center of electron-hole pairs successfully, thus facilitating overall photocatalytic properties of the material for diversified applications.