Day-Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue Using Graphene/ZnO Nanocomposite

In this paper, novel graphene/ZnO nanocomposites were produced for day-light photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB). Nanocomposites were prepared as to be ZnO (100 - x)% - x % Graphene nanocomposite (x = 0, 5, 10 and 15). For x = 10 and 15, nanocomposite films are transparent and also have electrical resistance. For day-light photocatalytic experiments, 5 ppm MB were prepared and masses of nanocomposite were selected as m = 0.03 g and m = 0.05 g. ZnO is a photocatalytic material. Our results show that graphene/ZnO nanocomposite is a powerful candidate for the high performance day-light photocatalytic applications. One another important finding is related with graphene concentration. Graphene concentration changed the photocatalytic mechanism of un-doped ZnO. For a nanocomposite of m = 0.03 g, the reaction rates of day-light photodegradation were bigger than that of the nanocomposite of m = 0.05 g for x = 10 and 15. But, the nanocomposite of m = 0.05 g for x = 10 and 15 were reached and passed the lower mass nanocomposite for MB degradation at long duration experiments. Graphene nanocomposites are proper and remarkable materials for the lowest mass day-light photodegradation of MB.

Automated summary

Novel graphene/ZnO nanocomposites were prepared for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. The concentration of graphene was found to impact the photocatalytic mechanism, with lower mass nanocomposites showing better degradation of MB under day-light conditions.