Reduced graphene oxide/CeO2 nanocomposite with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Abstract

In this work, reduced graphene oxide /cerium oxide (RGO/CeO2) nanocomposite was synthesized by in situ reduction of cerium nitrate Ce(NO3)3·6H2O in the presence of graphene oxide by hydrazine hydrate (N2H4.H2O). The intrinsic characteristics of as-prepared nanocomposite were studied using powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) was employed as a model reaction to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of the RGO/CeO2 nanocomposite. The as-obtained RGO/CeO2 nanocomposite displays a significantly enhanced photocatalytic degradation of MB dye in comparison with bare CeO2 nanoparticles under sunlight irradiation, which can be attributed to the improved separation of electron-hole pairs and enhanced adsorption performance due to presence of RGO.