Preparation and characterization of Bi12TiO20/RGO as high-efficiency photocatalysts for degradation of dye wastewater

Bi12TiO20/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites were successfully synthesized by combining sol-gel method with hydrothermal treatment. The TEM showed that Bi12TiO20 nanoparticles are well dispersed on the surface of graphene. The photocatalytic performance of Bi12TiO20/RGO composites was evaluated by degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) to innocuous substance under the visible light. The degradation rate of RhB over Bi12TiO20/RGO(3) composites can reach 98%, which is much higher than Bi12TiO20. The introduction of graphene enhances the charge transfer ability and effectively inhibits the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. Bi12TiO20/RGO composites exhibit good stability in cycling experiments. The center dot OH and h(+) generated in the Bi12TiO20/RGO-photocatalyzed RhB degradation system are identified as active species by free radical and hole scavenging experiments and the photocatalytic degradation mechanism is proposed.

Automated summary

Bi12TiO20/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites were successfully synthesized using sol-gel method and hydrothermal treatment. The introduction of RGO enhances charge transfer ability, inhibits recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, and improves the photocatalytic performance and stability of Bi12TiO20. The composites exhibit high degradation efficiency of organic dye Rhodamine B under visible light.