TiO₂–Graphene Nanocomposite as High Performace Photocatalysts

Nonstoichiometric TiO2–graphene nanocomposite was prepared by thermal hydrolysis of suspension with graphene nanosheets and titania–peroxo complex. The characterization of graphene nanosheets was provided by using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The prepared samples were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and Barrett–Joiner–Halenda porosity (BJH), X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV/vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy was employed to estimate band gap energies. From the titania/graphene samples, a 300 μm thin layer on a piece of glass 10 × 15 cm was created. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared layers was assessed from the kinetics of the photocatalytic degradation of butane in the gas phase. With regard to the degree of mineralization of butane, the sample labeled TiPC0100 and containing 0.1 g of graphene nanosheets then can be considered as the most active sample.