One-step hydrothermal synthesis of anatase TiO2/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

A facile and efficient one-step hydrothermal approach has been developed to synthesize chemically bonded TiO2/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposites with Ti(SO4)2 and graphene oxide (GO) as precursors and ethanol/water solvent as a reducing agent. This approach aims to realize a partial reduction of GO and a growth of anatase TiO2 nanoparticles on RGO sheets simultaneously. The morphology and microstructure characterizations of TiO2/RGO nanocomposites reveal that this method leads to close interfacial contact of TiO2/RGO and efficient dispersion of TiO2 nanocrystals on the surface of RGO sheets. The TiO2/RGO nanocomposites exhibit superior photocatalytic activity compared to bare TiO2 nanoparticles and a mechanical mixing TiO2 + RGO sample in the degradation of Rhodamine B. Based on the photoluminescence spectrum and photocurrent response measurements, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2/RGO is mainly attributed to the excellent electron trapping and transportation properties of RGO.