TiO2 nanocomposite with reduced graphene oxide through facile blending and its photocatalytic behavior for hydrogen evolution

• TRG-COOH nanocomposite as a photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution is prepared.
• The reduction of graphene oxide reconstructs a part of conjugated structure.
• The band gap is red-shifted due to the reconstruction of conjugated structure.
• RG-COOH covered and anchored by P25 blocks the aggregation and the stacking.
• The photocatalytic efficiency of TRG-COOH was increased under 500 W Xenon lamp.

TRG-COOH nanocomposite is prepared as a photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution by blending TiO2 with reduced graphene oxide (RG-COOH). TRG-COOH is characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscope (AFM), and photoluminescent spectra. XPS result shows the reduction of monolayer graphene oxide (GO). The band gap is red-shifted from 3.25 eV for P25, which consists of 20% rutile and 80% anatase, to 2.95 eV for TGO and then to 2.80 eV for TRG-COOH due to the introduction of GO and the reconstruction of conjugated structure. TEM image illustrates that RG-COOH in TRG-COOH is covered and anchored by P25, which blocks the aggregation of TiO2 nanoparticles and the stacking of monolayer graphene. This allows RG-COOH to take a good role of electron-sink and electron-transporting bridge. The photocatalytic efficiency of TRG-COOH is respectively increased under Xenon lamp about 8.9 and 2.7 times compared to P25 and TGO.

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