Sonochemical synthesis of TiO(2 nanoparticles on graphene for use as photocatalyst

Abstract

Using ultrasonication we succeed in a controlled incorporation of TiO(2) nanoparticles on the graphene layers homogeneously in a few hours. The average size of the TiO(2) nanoparticles was controlled at around 4-5 nm on the sheets without using any surfactant, which is attributed to the pyrolysis and condensation of the dissolved TiCl(4) into TiO(2) by ultrasonic waves. The photocatalytic activity of the resultant graphene-TiO(2) composites containing 25 wt.% TiO(2) is better than that of commercial pure TiO(2). This is partly due to the extremely small size of the TiO(2) nanoparticles and partly due to the graphene-TiO(2) composite structure consisting of homogeneous dispersion of crystalline TiO(2) nanoparticles on the graphene sheets. As the graphene in the composites has a very good contact with the TiO(2) nanoparticles it enhances the photo-electron conversion of TiO(2) by reducing the recombination of photo-generated electron-hole pairs.