Facile fabrication of TiO2-graphene nanocomposites (TGNCs) for the efficient photocatalytic oxidation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)

Abstract The present work describes the facile synthesis of the TiO2-graphene nanocomposites (TGNCs) graphene oxide-TiO2 and reduced graphene oxide-TiO2 and evaluates their photocatalytic performance and mechanism in the decomposition of intractable perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). More than 90% photocatalytic PFOA decomposition was achieved by the TGNCs (200 mg/L), while only 16% of the initial 12 μM PFOA was decomposed by the commercial TiO2. The presence of graphene provided surface enhancement effects and limited the recombination of electron-hole pairs during photocatalytic decomposition. The effect of quenching agents, isopropyl alcohol and sodium persulfate, in the photocatalytic system gave insight into understanding the mechanism of decomposition.