Synthesis of TiO2 nanowire/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites and their photocatalytic performances

• TiO2/RGO nanocomposites were synthesized with the effect of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB).
• TiO2 nanowires were several micrometers in length grown in situ on the surfaces of the RGO layers.
• 0.6TiO2/RGO nanocomposite showed a significant enhancement in photocatalytic activity.
• The synergistic effect between TiO2 and RGO was found in the TiO2/RGO nanocomposites.

TiO2 nanowire/reduced graphene oxide (TiO2/RGO) nanocomposites were synthesized through a modified hydrothermal method with cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant. The characterization of phase structure and morphology of TiO2/RGO nanocomposites revealed that most of graphene oxides (GO) were reduced to form RGO during the hydrothermal treatment, and TiO2 nanowires were grown in situ on the surfaces of the RGO layers in the presence of CTAB. Compared with TiO2/RGO prepared without CTAB, RGO in TiO2/RGO-C nanocomposites were layered with smooth surface. TiO2 nanowires in the nanocomposites were much longer than the TiO2 nanorods synthesized with the same method. Furthermore, with the increase of TiO2 content, TiO2 nanowires tended to be several micrometers in length. Compared with the obtained RGO and TiO2 nanorods, the TiO2/RGO nanocomposites exhibited a higher photocatalytic activity as a result of the synergistic effect between TiO2 and RGO. The TiO2/RGO nanocomposite with the optimized mass ratio of TiO2: GO of 0.6 showed a significant enhancement in photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, a deeper insight into the photocatalytic mechanism of TiO2/RGO nanocomposites was put forward.