Application of Titanium Dioxide-Graphene Composite Material for Photocatalytic Degradation of Alkylphenols

Titanium dioxide-graphene (TiO2-G) composite was used for the photodegradation of alkylphenols in wastewater samples. The TiO2-G composites were prepared via sonochemical and calcination methods. The synthesized composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scan...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chanbasha Basheer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2013-01-01
Series:Journal of Chemistry
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/456586
Description
Summary:Titanium dioxide-graphene (TiO2-G) composite was used for the photodegradation of alkylphenols in wastewater samples. The TiO2-G composites were prepared via sonochemical and calcination methods. The synthesized composite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and fluorescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated by studying the degradation profiles of alkylphenols using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). It was found that the synthesized TiO2-G composites exhibit enhanced photocatalytic efficiencies as compared to pristine TiO2. The presence of graphene not only provides a large surface area support for the TiO2 photocatalyst, but also stabilizes charge separation by trapping electrons transferred from TiO2, thereby hindering charge transfer and enhancing its photocatalytic efficiency.
ISSN:2090-9063
2090-9071