4.6 Article

Advanced Photocatalysts Based on Reduced Nanographene Oxide-TiO2 Photonic Crystal Films

Journal

MATERIALS
Volume 12, Issue 16, Pages -

Publisher

MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ma12162518

Keywords

TiO2; photonic crystals; graphene oxide nanocolloids; reduced graphene oxide; photocatalysis

Funding

  1. Research Projects For Excellence IKY/SIEMENS
  2. Operational Programme Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NSRF 2014-2020) [MIS 5002772]
  3. European Union (European Regional Development Fund)

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Surface functionalization of TiO2 inverse opals by graphene oxide nanocolloids (nanoGO) presents a promising modification for the development of advanced photocatalysts that combine slow photon-assisted light harvesting, surface area, and mass transport of macroporous photonic structures with the enhanced adsorption capability, surface reactivity, and charge separation of GO nanosheets. In this work, post-thermal reduction of nanoGO-TiO2 inverse opals was investigated in order to explore the role of interfacial electron transfer vs. pollutant adsorption and improve their photocatalytic activity. Photonic band gap-engineered TiO2 inverse opals were fabricated by the coassembly technique and were functionalized by GO nanosheets and reduced under He at 200 and 500 degrees C. Comparative performance evaluation of the nanoGO-TiO2 films on methylene blue photodegradation under UV-VIS and visible light showed that thermal reduction at 200 degrees C, in synergy with slow photon effects, improved the photocatalytic reaction rate despite the loss of nanoGO and oxygen functional groups, pointing to enhanced charge separation. This was further supported by photoluminescence spectroscopy and salicylic acid UV-VIS photodegradation, where, in the absence of photonic effects, the photocatalytic activity increased, confirming that fine-tuning of interfacial coupling between TiO2 and reduced nanoGO is a key factor for the development of highly efficient photocatalytic films.

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