Highly effective removal of volatile organic pollutants with p-n heterojunction photoreduced graphene oxide-TiO2photocatalyst

Xin Hong Tai, Chin Wei Lai, Thomas Chung Kuang Yang, Mohd Rafie Johan, Kian Mun Lee, Chia Yun Chen, Joon Ching Juan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are among the most common gaseous pollutants found indoors. Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) is an effective technique to remove VOCs, and recently, photoreduced graphene oxide (PRGO) has emerged as a carbon-based photocatalyst. The p-n heterojunction photocatalyst composed of p-type PRGO and n-type titanium dioxide (TiO2) was synthesised via a benign and facile ultraviolet (UV)-assisted photoreduction method. The optimised PRGO-TiO2photocatalyst (GT-12) exhibited enhanced photoactivity that removed 100% and 24.3% of VOC (50 mg/m3of methanol) under UV and visible light, respectively. The enhancement was due to the larger built-in potential of p-n heterojunction (+ 0.05 eV)) and smaller band gap (2.90 - 3.15 eV) of the GT-12, which retarded the charge carrier recombination and improved light absorption, respectively. The main reactive species responsible for the photocatalytic activities were hVB+species and •O2-radicals. This work provides new insights into the potentials of PRGO-TiO2as a p-n heterojunction photocatalyst.

Original languageEnglish
Article number107304
JournalJournal of Environmental Chemical Engineering
Volume10
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022 Apr

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution
  • Process Chemistry and Technology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Highly effective removal of volatile organic pollutants with p-n heterojunction photoreduced graphene oxide-TiO2photocatalyst'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this