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

• 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

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.