One-Pot Synthesis of Ag-TiO₂/Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites and Its Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2018 Sep 1;18(9):6075-6080. doi: 10.1166/jnn.2018.15616.

Abstract

In this study, we report Ag-TiO2/graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites prepared by a simple one-pot synthesis using TiO2, AgNO3, and N-doped graphene (NDG). The NDG was synthesized using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MHT) method as a function of MHT time. The morphology and structure of Ag-TiO2/GO nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The photocatalytic activity of Ag-TiO2/GO nanocomposites in visible light was explored using the degradation, of methylene blue (MB) dye under the ultraviolet (UV) light. The result showed that Ag-TiO2/GO-3 was very efficient for the degradation of MB with nitrogen doping time. The degradation efficiency of the photocatalytic nanoparticles after 6 h of irradiation was about 80%. Increasing the N-doping time increased their hydrophilicity, thereby improving the photocatalytic performance of Ag-TiO2/GO nanocomposites.