Photocatalytic activity of the TIO2/Ag/rGO nanocomposite

The paper presents the results of a study of the photocatalytic activity of films formed by titanium dioxide nanorods doped with silver nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide. The obtained nanocomposite materials were studied by optical spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Raman spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by generating a photocurrent when the surface was illuminated by a modulated light source of a xenon lamp. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by the degradation of the methylene blue dye, which is a model. It was found that the introduction of silver nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide into the pores of films made of titanium dioxide nanorods leads to an increase in the spectral sensitivity of the sample in the region of 400-500 nm. The increased sensitivity of the sample to visible light leads to an increase in photocurrent generation and is 2.3 times higher than that of the original sample. Degradation of the methylene blue dye after 100 minutes of irradiation in the presence of a TiO2/Ag/rGO sample was 19 %. This is 3 times higher than in TiO2 nanorods films and 2.3 times higher than TiO2/Ag films. The results of the conducted studies have shown that the improvement of photocatalytic activity is associated with a decrease in film resistance, an expansion of spectral sensitivity and an increase in the surface area of the nanorods.