A facile route to strontium titanate nanocubes/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites and their enhanced adsorption and photocatalytic activity

• STO/rGO nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by a facile two-step route.
• the nanocomposites are composed of rGO-supported ~10 nm STO nanocubes.
• Compared with STO, STO/rGO exhibit better adsorption and photocatalysis.
• Particularly, 6 wt% rGO exhibits the best enhanced photocatalytic performance.

Novel strontium titanate nanocubes/reduced graphene oxide (STO/rGO) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized via a two-step route, including a rapid sol-precipitation process and a subsequent hydrothermal process. TEM images indicate that the nanocomposites are composed of rGO-supported monodispersed 5–10 nm STO nanocubes. Compared with pure STO, STO/rGO nanocomposites exhibit better adsorption and photocatalytic performance. Particularly, the sample with 6 wt% rGO exhibits the best enhanced photocatalytic performance. The photocatalysis measurements indicate that the rGO sheets not only exhibit superior adsorptive property but also behave as the photocatalysis supporter due to the synergistic effect of the accelerated separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The novel synthesis route provides possibility to design perovskite/rGO nano-photocatalysts.

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