Enhanced photocatalytic H2-production activity of graphene-modified titania nanosheets

Graphene-modified TiO(2) nanosheets with exposed (001) facets (graphene/TiO(2)) were prepared by microwave-hydrothermal treatment of graphene oxide (GO) and hydrothermally synthesized TiO(2) nanosheets with exposed (001) facets in an ethanol-water solvent. These nanocomposite samples showed high photocatalytic H(2)-production activity in aqueous solutions containing methanol, as sacrificial reagent, even without Pt co-catalyst. The optimal graphene content was found to be ∼1.0 wt%, giving a H(2)-production rate of 736 μmol h(-1) g(-1) with a quantum efficiency (QE) of 3.1%, which exceeded the rate observed on pure TiO(2) nanosheets by more than 41 times. This high photocatalytic H(2)-production activity is due…