Photocatalytic Activity of ZnV2O6/Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite: From Theory to Experiment. Issue 7 (5th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sameie, H.; Alvani, A. A. Sabbagh; Naseri, N.; Rosei, F.; Mul, G.; Mei, B. T.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the Electrochemical Society. Volume 165:Issue 7(2018)
• Page Start: H353
• Page End: H359
• Publication Date: 2018-05-05
• Subjects: Charge transfer -- Photocatalysis -- Reduced graphene oxide; Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; 541.3705
• DOI: 10.1149/2.0601807jes
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-4651

Abstract

Abstract : A nanocomposite of ZnV2 O6 with hierarchical flower-like structure hybridized with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was fabricated using a facile hydrothermal approach. The structure, morphology, optical and electronic properties were explored using comprehensive analytical techniques. The results revealed that the rGO sheets were decorated with the in situ-formed ZnV2 O6 nanoparticles yielding a well-combined composite structure. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared ZnV2 O6 /rGO hybrids is 2.48 times larger than that of pristine ZnV2 O6 for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). In parallel to the experimental results, the basic mechanisms of interfacial interaction, charge transfer/separation and subsequently their influence on the photocatalytic activity were theoretically studied by first-principles calculations. The photocatalytic enhancement is attributed to efficient interfacial electron transfer from ZnV2 O6 to rGO, leading to a prolonged lifetime of photoinduced charge carriers. We anticipate that these results will lead to new insights in the judicious design of graphene-based semiconductor photocatalysts.