One-step synthesis of Ti3+ self-doped CTO/rGO composites by pulsed laser ablation in liquid with enhanced photocatalytic activity in water purification

Abstract

Titanate calcium integrated with reduced graphene oxide (CTO/rGO) composites are prepared using pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) technique. The laser wavelength exhibits a critical effect on the synthetic mechanism, which is primarily dominated by photothermal effect at 1064 nm but photochemical reactions at 355 nm. With the generation of Ti-O-C bond, the reduction of graphene oxide and the successful introduction of Ti3+ and oxygen vacancies, the bandgap of CTO/rGO composite can be significantly narrowed to 2.86 eV which has contributed to the generated·OH,·O2- and h+ of strong oxidation capacity to jointly achieve the efficient degradation of methyl orange. Our results demonstrate that CTO/rGO composites are able to endure severe conditions for an extended period of time and the pseudo-first-order constant of composites can be accomplished 15 times higher than pure titanate calcium. In view of the environment-friendly synthesis method and noticeable photocatalytic ability, the presented strategy is supposed to be a charming choice for removing organic pollutants from industrial wastewater.