Electrospun titania nanofibers segregated by graphene oxide for improved visible light photocatalysis

- Well-defined and structurally stable TiO2 nanofibers segregated by GO were prepared by using electrospinning technique.
- The GO sheets were uniformly embedded in the TiO2 nanofibers.
- The TiO2/GO composite nanofibers showed enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation.
- GO sheets in the TiO2 nanofibers facilitated the mobility of charge carriers and enhanced visible light response range.

The present study reports the electrospun one-dimensional TiO2/graphene oxide (GO) composite nanofibers photocatalysts using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a fiberizing carrier. Continuous TiO2 nanofibers segregated by the well-dispersed GO with the content even high as 5 wt% were obtained after the carrier PVP was burnt away at 500 °C. The observed lower excitonic intensity from photoluminescent study in the TiO2/GO samples than that in bare TiO2 nanofibers indicated that the recombination of photoinduced electrons and holes in TiO2 could be effectively inhibited in the composite nanofibers. Photocatalytic studies suggested that the TiO2/GO composite nanofibers showed higher mobility of charge carriers and enhanced photocatalytic activity than bare TiO2 nanofibers under visible light irradiation. In addition, photocatalytic performance of the TiO2/GO composites nanofibers was enhanced with increasing the GO concentration in the composite nanofibers. The results presented herein provide new insights into TiO2/GO composites materials as high performance photocatalysts with potential uses in environmental remediation.

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