A facile and fast synthesis of novel composite Pt-graphene/TiO2 with enhanced photocatalytic activity under UV/Visible light

In this study, novel material Pt-graphene/TiO2 nanocomposites were prepared by facile and fast microwave assisted method. The as-prepared composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-Visible absorbance spectra analysis. UV-Visible diffuse spectra (DRS) were obtained by using a scan UV-Visible spectrophotometer equipped with an integrating sphere assembly. The photocatalytic activities were investigated by the degradation of rhodamine B (Rh.B) as a standard dye. The photodegradation rate of Rh.B under UV/Visible light was found markedly high with increasing wt% of graphene in Pt-graphene/TiO2 nanocomposites. This revealed that the excellent photoinduced charge separation abilities and observed red shift in these hybrid semiconductors, transport properties of graphene make these hybrid materials as potential candidates for developing high-performance and next-generation photocatalyst materials. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.