Enhanced Photocatalytic Properties of N and Fe Co-Doped TiO2 Nanocomposites with Reduced Graphene Oxide for Volatile Organic Compounds

Abstract

Photocatalytic nanocomposites of titanium dioxide (TiO2) were prepared by hydrothermal method. Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was applied to prepare various TiO2 composites of doped nanoparticles by using NH4Cl and FeCl3 as sources. The structure and morphology of these composites showed that TiO2 was loaded on surface of RGO. Meanwhile, the agglomeration of TiO2 decreased and the dispersion became uniform for doped materials. Under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, the photocatalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by RGO/TiO2 composites with codoping of N and Fe reached to 90.5%. The photocatalytic degradation was higher than RGO/TiO2 composites and pure TiO2 by 1.8 and 5.9 times, respectively. The role of co-doping composites may have a possible mechanism for toluene under UV light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic properties were attributed to N and Fe doping which generated intermediate energy level, extended absorption and decreased band gap of UV light.