Sonophotocatalytic Performance of Bi₂Se₃-Graphene/TiO₂Hybrid Nanomaterials Synthesized with a Microwave-assisted Method

Abstract

This paper introduces a microwave-assisted synthesis method to prepare hybrid Bi 2 Se 3-GR/TiO 2 nanocomposites, which exhibit superior properties over single component materials. The as-prepared composites were characterized by XRD, UV-vis absorbance spectra, SEM,TEM, EDX, and BET analyses, revealing uniform covering of the graphene nanosheet with Bi 2 Se 3 and TiO 2 nanocrystals. For visible light photocatalysis of Rh.B, a significant enhancement in the reaction rate was consequently observed with Bi 2 Se 3-GR/TiO 2 composites. The degradation rate(k app) obtained for sonophotocatalysis was 6.8× 10-3 min-1 , roughly 2.2 times better than that of VL photocatalysis under higher concentrations of Rh.B. The sonophotocatalysis was faster due to greater formation of reactive radicals as well as an increase of the active surface area of the Bi 2 Se 3-GR/TiO 2 composites. The high activity is attributed to the synergetic effects of high charge mobility and red shift of the absorption edge of Bi 2 Se 3-GR/TiO 2 .