Porous graphene-SrTiO3 (PGST) composite prepared by
a facile solvothermal method was tested for its photocatalytic activity
in degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye. First-principles density
functional theory calculations were also carried out to study the
effect of nanocomposite formation on the electronic structure and
density of states. The combined experimental and theoretical study
gave insights regarding the formation of the Sr–C bond which
enhanced the charge transport, effectively separating the charge carriers
and reduced their recombination rate. The formation of PGST nanocomposite
favorably tuned the electronic structure with decreased band gap due
to introduction of the hybridized states extending the absorption
to the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum. The microscopy
studies revealed loofah like PG wrapped SrTiO3 nano structures
with contusions providing high surface area facilitating adsorption
of MB dye. Degradation of ∼92% was obtained by 7.5 PGST in
120 min with high cyclic stability indicating its suitability as an
efficient photocatalyst for the treatment of pollutants.
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