Enhanced Visible-Light Photocatalytic Performance of Electrospun rGO/TiO2Composite Nanofibers

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) composite nanofibers as photocatalytic materials were successfully elaborated by using electrospinning. The as-spun nanofibers with controlled ratio of rGO were annealed at 500 °C under nitrogen in a tubular furnace. Structural, morphological, and optical characterizations demonstrate the success of rGO incorporation in the TiO 2 nanofibers. The performances of these nanocomposites for photocatalytic application have been evaluated. The presence of rGO sheets decreases the band gap energy of TiO 2 NFs from 3.2 to 2.9 eV. Hence, in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO), a significant enhancement in the reaction rate was observed with rGO/TiO 2 (2 wt %) composite NFs compared to commercial TiO 2 -P25. In addition, the kinetic of MO degradation by rGO/TiO 2 (2 wt %) composite NFs is 6 times higher than that by commercial TiO 2 . Thus, the photocatalytic activity of the composites rGO/TiO 2 significantly increases the visible-light photoresponse and improves the separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs of TiO 2 .