Graphene–metal–oxide composites for the degradation of dyes under visible light irradiation

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was respectively modified with tin dioxide (SnO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) via a direct redox reaction between the graphene oxide (GO) and the reactive cations Sn2+ and Ti3+, forming RGO–SnO2 and RGO–TiO2 composites. During this redox reaction, GO was reduced to RGO while Sn2+ and Ti3+ were oxidized to SnO2 and TiO2, depositing on the surface of the RGO. The composite materials were found to exhibit very interesting photocatalytic properties for degrading Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. First, their photocatalytic activities were higher than that of P25 (a commercial TiO2 as a benchmark photocatalyst). Second, the reaction mechanism catalyzed by the composite…

• MO
  Ministry of Education - Singapore
• MO
  Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources - Singapore