Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance of Electrospun rGO/TiO2Composite Nanofibers

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) composite nanofibers as photocatalytic materials were successfully elaborated by using electrospinning. The as-spun nanofibers with controlled ratio of rGO were annealed at 500 °C under nitrogen in a tubular furnace. Structural, morphological, and optical characterizations demonstrate the success of rGO incorporation in the TiO2 nanofibers. The performances of these nanocomposites for photocatalytic application have been evaluated. The presence of rGO sheets decreases the band gap energy of TiO2 NFs from 3.2 to 2.9 eV. Hence, in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO), a significant enhancement in the reaction rate was observed with rGO/TiO2 (2 wt %) composite NFs compared to commercial TiO2-P25. In addition, the kinetic of MO degradation by rGO/TiO2 (2 wt %) composite NFs is 6 times higher than that by commercial TiO2. Thus, the photocatalytic activity of the composites rGO/TiO2 significantly increases the visible-light photoresponse and improves the separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs of TiO2.