Enhanced photoelectrochemcial activity of TiO2 nanoparticles by graphene intercalation

The photoelectronchemical (PEC) activity of the photocatalyst is largely dependent on the concentration and lifetime of the photogenerated carriers, however, these carriers are easily and quickly neutralized within the photocatalyst. To address this issue, we designed a superstructure of graphene-intercalated TiO 2 nanoparticles (TiO 2 /G) by pyrolyzing octylamine-intercalated hexafluorotitanic acid hybrids. The inserted graphene accelerates photoelectron transfer and reduces the recombination of photogenerated carriers in the body, while maintains the structural stability. The TiO 2 /G hybrid composite exhibits a low carbon content of only 1.3 wt.%, a strong Ti-C chemical interaction between TiO 2 and intercalated graphene, and a large surface area of 38.88 m 2 /g, nearly five times that of bare TiO 2 (7.96 m 2 /g). The findings from the photocatalytic experiments indicate that the photocatalytic efficiency and photocurrent response of TiO 2 /G are twice and 4.22 times higher, respectively, compared to standard TiO 2 nanoparticles. This indicates a substantial promise for the superstructure in photoelectrochemistry and energy conversion applications.