Synthesis of Zr doped TiO2/reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) nanocomposite material for efficient photocatalytic degradation of Eosin Blue dye under visible light irradiation

Abstract

A series of Zr doped TiO2/reduced Graphene Oxide (ZTG) nanocomposites were synthesised with graphene oxide (GO) loadings from 1 to 10 wt% via in situ process by modified sol-gel method at low temperature. The resultant composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction study (XRD), UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV–vis/DRS), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and FT-Infra red (FT-IR). XRD results revealed that all prepared samples were having anatase TiO2 on rGO surface with excellent crystallinity. A UV–vis/DRS measurement suggests that all ZTG nanocomposites exhibited extended light absorption in visible region compared with Zr doped TiO2 (ZT). SEM and TEM studies show existence of two dimensional structure of GO and uniform distribution of ZT nanoparticles (ZT np's) on the surface of rGO in resulting nanocomposite. XPS measurements confirmed presence of constituent elements on surface of ZTG nanocomposite and reduction of GO to rGO during synthesis process. Raman and FT-IR results showed strong interactions between ZT np's and rGO. The PL study confirms that there is a generation of OH which causes the degradation of dye molecules during irradiation. Enhancement in photocatalytic activity by the addition of GO was confirmed by degradation of Eosin Blue (EB) dye under visible light illumination.