Ternary Pt@TiO2/rGO Nanocomposite to Boost Photocatalytic Activity for Environmental and Energy Use

This work explores the effect of ternary nanostructure for the enhanced photocatalytic degradation of pollutants and dyes. One-pot solvothermal-assisted approach was used for producing nanosized Pt@TiO₂ hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) decorated on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layers. The microstructure, morphology, chemical composition, and optical absorption of the designed photocatalyst was successfully characterized (using XRD, TEM, Raman, UV–visible absorption spectra, and XPS techniques). The ternary Pt@TiO₂-rGO photocatalyst consist of monodisperse quasi-spherical Pt@TiO₂ NPs with an average size of 11 nm deposited on the rGO nanosheets. Furthermore, Pt@TiO₂-rGO was further investigated for the photodegradation of pesticide and dyes under UV and visible light. The ternary Pt@TiO₂-rGO photocatalyst proved a significant improvement on the photodecomposition of pollutants compared to hybrid Pt@TiO₂. The Pt@TiO₂-rGO photocatalyst was found to show seven- and threefold increase in the photocatalytic activity compared to TiO₂ and Pt@TiO₂ NPs, respectively which resulted from the high surface area of rGO and as well as the strong Pt/TiO₂/rGO interactions which ensured excellent properties of charge separation. On the other hand, the ternary photocatalyst exhibited very good recycle and reuse capacity up to five cycles.