Enhanced photoresponse and efficient charge transfer in porous graphene-BaTiO3 nanocomposite for high performance photocatalysis

Abstract

Porous graphene-BaTiO<inf>3</inf> (PGBT) nanocomposite was synthesized by a simple one pot solvothermal method and its photocatalytic activity was evaluated by studying its efficiency in degrading methylene blue (MB) dye under visible light. The combination of experimental and theoretical analysis revealed enhanced photocatalytic activity of the PGBT composite, which could be attributed to (i) the interaction of BaTiO<inf>3</inf> nanoparticles with PG sheets via Ba–C bond, (ii) reduced band gap due to the introduction of hybridized states leading to increased absorption in visible range and (iii) large surface area which provides more active sites for the efficient adsorption of MB dye. The formation of Ba–C bond proved to be highly advantageous for the efficient transport of photogenerated charge carriers, thereby suppressing the recombination of charge carriers. The synthesized nanocomposite showed three times higher photodegradation efficiency compared to BaTiO<inf>3</inf>. In addition to this, the composite also showed an excellent cyclic stability indicating its suitability as an effective photocatalyst for the environmental remediation. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.