Mesoporous anatase TiO2/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites: A simple template-free synthesis and their high photocatalytic performance

• Mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles with anatase phase were assembled on reduced graphene oxide via a template-free one-step hydrothermal method.
• The TiO2/rGO nanocomposites have better adsorption capacity and photocatalytic degradation efficiency for dyes removal.
• Improved dye adsorption and photogenerated charge separation are responsible for enhanced activity.

Mesoporous anatase phase TiO2 was assembled on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using a template-free one-step hydrothermal process. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area. Morphology of TiO2 was related to the content of graphene oxide. TiO2/rGO nanocomposites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for the photo-degradation of methyl orange. The degradation rate was 4.5 times greater than that of pure TiO2 nanoparticles. This difference was attributed to the thin two-dimensional graphene sheet. The graphene sheet had a large surface area, high adsorption capacity, and acted as a good electron acceptor for the transfer of photo-generated electrons from the conduction band of TiO2. The enhanced surface adsorption characteristics and excellent charge transport separation were independent properties of the photocatalytic degradation process.

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