Graphene-induced spatial charge separation for selective water splitting over TiO2 photocatalyst

•An advanced photocatalyst of P25–rGO–Co was prepared by separately decorating P25 and CoOx on a single rGO sheet.•The presence of rGO can play dual role in transferring photogenerated electrons and holes.•A spatial charge separation was realized on P25–rGO–Co.•P25–rGO–Co exhibits enhanced activity for H2 and O2 evolution from water splitting.

Here we report that separately decorating TiO2 (P25) nanoparticles and CoOx cocatalyst on a single reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheet results in an advanced photocatalyst, P25–rGO–Co, which exhibits enhanced photocatalytic performances for selective H2 or O2 evolution from water splitting. Characterization results show that rGO can not only efficiently accept and transport photogenerated electrons but also shuttle holes to CoOx cocatalyst simultaneously, achieving an efficient spatial charge separation on P25–rGO–Co, thus improving the half-reaction efficiency.

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