(0 0 1) Facet-exposed anatase-phase TiO2 nanotube hybrid reduced graphene oxide composite: Synthesis, characterization and application in photocatalytic degradation

•The hydrothermal and lyophilization methods can reduce GO and anchor TNT to RGO sheets synchronously.•The RGO-TNT can enhance the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue, superior to pure TNT.•The photocatalytic activity can be changed by adjusting mass ratios of TiO2 powder to GO used for preparation of RGO-TNT.

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and TiO2 nanotube (TNT) with (0 0 1) facet-exposed anatase phase are covalently bonded together to synthesize TNT hybrid RGO (RGO-TNT) through consecutive process such as hydrothermal reaction, HCl washing, lyophilization and heat treatment with graphene oxide (GO), TiO2 powder and high concentration NaOH solution as the starting materials. The TNT with the diameter between 10 and 20 nm characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is in anatase phase proven by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and HRTEM. Additionally, the more active (0 0 1) facet is exposed identified by HRTEM. More significantly, TNT is bridged to RGO by CTi bond by the measurement of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photoluminescence (PL) spectra has testified that RGO in RGO-TNT can transfer and accept photoelectrons from TNT. The photocatalytic activity of RGO-TNT for degrading methylene blue (MB) is enhanced by contrast with pure TNT, and changeable by adjusting the mass ratios of GO to TiO2 powder. Simultaneously, lyophilization is benefit for maintaining the high active surface area of RGO-TNT, which is deeply in relationship with a higher photocatalytic activity. After four running cycles of photocatalytic degradation, RGO-TNT has shown a high stability and perfect reproducibility.