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One‐Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of 2D Hexagonal Nanoplates of α‐Fe 2 O 3 /Graphene Composites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity
Author(s) -
Han Sancan,
Hu Linfeng,
Liang Ziqi,
Wageh Swelm,
AlGhamdi Ahmed A.,
Chen Yongsheng,
Fang Xiaosheng
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201401279
Subject(s) - graphene , photocatalysis , materials science , rhodamine b , hydrothermal circulation , oxide , nanotechnology , composite material , chemical engineering , catalysis , metallurgy , biochemistry , chemistry , engineering
There has been significant progress in the field of semiconductor photocatalysis, but it is still a challenge to fabricate low‐cost and high‐activity photocatalysts because of safety issues and non‐secondary pollution to the environment. Here, 2D hexagonal nanoplates of α‐Fe 2 O 3 /graphene composites with relatively good distribution are synthesized for the first time using a simple, one‐step, template‐free, hydrothermal method that achieves the effective reduction of the graphene oxide (GO) to graphene and intimate and large contact interfaces of the α‐Fe 2 O 3 nanoplates with graphene. The α‐Fe 2 O 3 /graphene composites showed significantly enhancement in the photocatalytic activity compared with the pure α‐Fe 2 O 3 nanoplates. At an optimal ratio of 5 wt% graphene, 98% of Rhodamine (RhB) is decomposed with 20 min of irradiation, and the rate constant of the composites is almost four times higher than that of pure α‐Fe 2 O 3 nanoplates. The decisive factors in improving the photocatalytic performance are the intimate and large contact interfaces between 2D hexagonal α‐Fe 2 O 3 nanoplates and graphene, in addition to the high electron withdrawing/storing ability and the highconductivity of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) formed during the hydrothermal reaction. The effective charge transfer from α‐Fe 2 O 3 nanoplates to graphene sheets is demonstrated by the significant weakening of photoluminescence in α‐Fe 2 O 3 /graphene composites.