BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite: enhanced photocatalytic activity as well as improved electrode performance

Herein, we reported the preparation of BaTiO(3)nanoparticles and BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite by sol-gel route and microwave assisted co-precipitation method respectively. A series of analysis such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, UV-visible absorption, photocatalytic activity, photoluminescence and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method were employed to determine the properties of prepared samples. The dielectric properties of BaTiO(3)nanoparticles and BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite were studied at different frequencies and different temperatures. Photocatalytic performance of obtained BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite was evaluated via photocatalytic degradation process of methylene blue (MB) as a model dye under irradiation of visible light. The cumulative outcome of results indicated the superior performance of BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite as photocatalyst when compared with pure BaTiO(3)nanoparticles, which might be attributed to distensible surface area and effective separation of photo-excited electron-hole pairs. Our findings demonstrate that the prepared nanocomposite as reported here may be utilized as photocatalyst for degrading organic pollutants and as electrode in charge storage devices.

Automated summary

The BaTiO3 nanoparticles and BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite were successfully prepared and characterized through various analysis techniques. The dielectric properties of the samples were studied, and the photocatalytic performance of the BaTiO3@rGO nanocomposite was found to be superior to the nanoparticles, possibly due to its larger surface area and efficient separation of photo-excited electron-hole pairs.