We report a simple method for decorating carboxyl functionalized few-layer graphene with titania (TiO2) nanoparticles by sonication and stirring under room temperature. The nanocomposites showed a remarkable improvement in visible light driven photocatalysis. From Raman and XRD analysis the number of layers of graphene was found to be 3. The TiO2 decorated few-layer graphene (FLG) sheets were characterized by electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, XRD and UV-vis spectroscopy. Titania nanoparticles were uniformly decorated on FLG matrix. The incorporation of titania on FLG enhanced the visible light photocatalytic activity of titania, lowered the electron hole recombination and improved the electron hole mobility. The enhanced life time of the charge carriers was confirmed from the photocurrent measurements. Compared to bare TiO2 nanoparticles the FLG-TiO2 nanocomposites exhibited rapid degradation of Rhodamine B (Rhd B) under solar radiation. It was found that adsorption of dye molecules and the rate of degradation have been greatly enhanced in the FLG decorated with TiO2. The rapid degradation of Rhd B using carboxyl functionalized FLG-TiO2 within 8 min under solar radiation and 20 min under 30 W UV tube with very low concentration (0.01 wt.%) of the photocatalyst is the highlight of the present report. The mechanism of degradation and charge separation ability of the nanocomposite are also explored.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2014.04.054 | DOI Listing |
Molecules
December 2024
College of Mechanical and Electronic Engineering, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China.
Int J Mol Sci
December 2024
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority-INAIL, Via Fontana Candida 1, Monte Porzio Catone, 00078 Rome, Italy.
Graphene and its various derivatives, known as graphene-based nanomaterials (GBNs), hold tremendous potential across many fields due to their exceptional properties. As with any novel material, concerns about their safety have emerged alongside their widespread production and use. Several studies have shown that GBNs can have diverse effects on various cell lines and organisms under different exposure conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
December 2024
Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Colloidal properties of nanoparticles are intricately linked to their morphology. Traditionally, achieving high-concentration dispersions of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets has proven challenging as they tend to agglomerate or re-stack under increased surface contact and Van der Waals attraction. Here, we unveil an excluded volume effect enabled by 2D morphology, which can be coupled with electrostatic repulsion to synthesize high-concentration aqueous graphene dispersions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Am Chem Soc
January 2025
Center for Nanochemistry, Beijing Science and Engineering Center for Nanocarbons, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
The nonlinear optical response in graphene is finding increasing applications in nanophotonic devices. The activation and enhancement of second harmonic generation (SHG) in graphene, which is generally forbidden in monolayer and AB-stacked bilayer graphene due to their centrosymmetry, is of urgent need for nanophotonic applications. Here, we present a comprehensive study of SHG performance of twisted multilayer graphene structures based on stacking engineering.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall
December 2024
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.
Despite the ubiquitous use of glasses, their simultaneous susceptibility toward scratch-induced defects and atmospheric hydration deteriorates their mechanical and chemical durability. Here, it is demonstrated that the deposition of a few-layer graphene provides unprecedented wear resistance to silica glass in aqueous conditions. To this extent, nanoscale scratch tests are carried out on graphene-glass surfaces via contact-mode atomic force microscopy with chemically inert and reactive tips.
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