Enhanced TiO2 nanorods (TNRs) with partially reduced graphene oxide (RGO) (designated as GT) were prepared for degrading aqueous hazardous pollutants. The degree of RGO oxidation had an important role in affecting the photoelectronic and photocatalytic activities of GT composites. The study examined the impact of the degree of RGO oxidation on the photocatalytic activities. The photocatalytic activity of the materials was investigated for degrading rhodamine b (RhB), methyl orange (MO), methylene blue (MB), and phenol by using ultraviolet (UV) light. The highest photocatalytic activity was observed when the atomic oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratio of RGO was 0.130 ± 0.003. This study suggested the photocatalytic performance was maximized by preserving a selected amount of the RGO oxygen-containing groups. The work reported in this study on optimizing the RGO-based TiO2 photocatalyst could serve as a promising approach for preparing and optimizing other types of carbon-based photocatalysts such as graphene-based CdS.
Keywords: Deoxidization; Functionalization; Graphene; Photo-electrochemical; Reduced graphene oxide; TiO2 photocatalysts.