UV light assisted synthesis of ternary reduced graphene oxide hybrid materials and their photocatalytic performance

Abstract

Freely-assembled ternary hybrids consisting of Pt, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and P25 were synthesized by a direct solution process with the assistance of UV light. The Pt-RGO/P25 hybrids were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet visible (UV-vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence spectra (PL). Importantly, when Pt-RGO/P25 hybrids were used as photocatalysts, they could show a superior photocatalytic performance when compared to commercial P25 and RGO/P25 hybrids under UV, solar light and λ > 600 nm visible light irradiation, which could be explained on the basis of the plasmonic response and the formation of Pt Schottky barrier at the interface between TiO2 and graphene. This work could provide new insight for enhancing graphene/TiO2 photocatalytic performance and facilitate their application in environmental protection.