Hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2–RGO composites and their improved photocatalytic activity in visible light

Composites of titanium dioxide–reduced graphene oxide (TiO2–RGO) have been prepared via an efficient and facile hydrothermal reaction of graphene oxide and Ti(OH)4 in a ethanol–water solvent. The structure and composition of the composites have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller specific area analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The results showed that the TiO2–RGO composites exhibited a layered structure with well-dispersed anatase TiO2 on the surface of the reduced graphene oxide. Compared with the pure TiO2 nanoparticles, the composites had larger surface area, and extended the photoresponse range to the visible light region. The photocatalytic activity of the composites was much higher than that of TiO2 in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation.