Graphene-based hollow TiO2 composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity for removal of pollutants

Catalytically active graphene-based hollow TiO2 composites(TiO2/RGO) were successfully synthesized via the solvothermal method. Hollow TiO2 microspheres are uniformly dispersed on RGO. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and photoluminescence (PL) were used for the characterization of prepared photocatalysts. The mass of GO was optimized in the photocatalytic removal of rhodamine B (RhB) as a model dye pollutants. The results showed that graphene-based hollow TiO2 composites exhibit a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity in degradation of RhB under either UV or visible light irradiation. The formation of the graphene-based hollow TiO2 composites and the photocatalytic mechanisms under UV and visible light were also discussed.