Facile Synthesis and Simulated Solar Photocatalytic Performance of Al ₂ O ₃ /rGO Composites

Nano Al 2 O 3 /reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites were directly synthesized by one simple low-temperature heat treatment using nano Al 2 O 3 and GO powders as raw materials. The degradation capability of the samples to methylene blue (MB) was tested under simulated sunlight. Results show that heating at a low temperature can induce a reduction reaction in GO and facilitate its transformation into rGO. Simultaneously, rGO may be fully composited with nano Al 2 O 3 to obtain Al 2 O 3 /rGO composites. The addition of GO markedly enhances the light absorption capacity of the samples in the entire light region. The fluorescence spectrum intensity of the sample can be reduced by adding proper amounts of GO. The obtained sample exhibited the best simulated solar photocatalytic activity when the amount of GO added was 15wt%, and MB was degraded within 60 min.