Modification of graphene oxide with titanium dioxide by alcoholic reduction

Graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposites doped with DEGUSSA (P25) was synthetized by (GO) alcoholic reduction at high temperatures, during the reduction the P25 anchored to the spaces left by carbonyls groups in the graphene network, this incorporation improved photocatalytic behavior by retarding the electro-hole pair (e(-) h(+)). Raman spectroscopy confirms the anchorage, because the material with higher load of TiO2 presented a band at 1100cm(-1) belonging to Carbonate's groups (CO3) and a total modification of the bands D and G, also this material presents a band gap of 2.54eV. The P25 incorporation into graphene three-dimensional arrangement is notorious in diffraction x ray patterns, because the graphene diffraction pattern shows a sharpened and smaller peak than the starting graphene oxide. The incorporation of TiO2 to graphene sheets, improved the band gap, which P25 being of 3.2eV was reduced to almost 2.5eV, naturally this allows it, to be an excellent material to be used as photoanodes, photovoltaic devices and photocatalysis, the latter case, its demonstrated by a photodegradation of methylene blue at 60ppm exposed to solar light and 25ppm exposed to a sodium lamp that emits radiation close to 589nm.