Fabrication of graphene oxide wrapped Ti/Co3O4 nanowire photoanode and its superior photoelectrocatalytic performance

摘要

Here, we successfully fabricated graphene oxide (GO) wrapped Ti/Co3O4 nanowires (NWs) by electrophoretic deposition based on the good dispersibility of GO in an aqueous solution. Interestingly, GO can adhere to the surface of Co3O4 NWs via an ultrathin gossamer-like sheet, and the coverage and wrapping of GO on the surface of Co3O4 NWs can be controlled by tuning the electrochemical deposition time and voltage. Our results also demonstrate that GO wrapped Co3O4 NWs had superior photoelectrochemical activity for the decolorization of dye (reactive brilliant blue KN-R) in wastewater, mainly because the introduction of GO can tune the oxygen evolution behavior, the transportation of reactant and induced carriers, electrochemical active areas, and the light-harvesting capability of Co3O4 NWs. Therefore, we anticipate that GO wrapped Ti/Co3O4 NWs could be considered as a promising photoanode for the treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater.