One-step preparation of nitrogen doped titanium oxide/Au/reduced graphene oxide composite thin films for photocatalytic applications

摘要

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015. Titanium dioxide (TiO) and TiO/Au/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite thin films were grown by ultraviolet matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (UV-MAPLE) in controlled O or N atmospheres. An UV KrF∗ excimer laser (λ = 248 nm, τ ∼ 25 ns, ν = 10 Hz) was used for the irradiation of the MAPLE targets consisting of TiO nanoparticles (NPs) or mixtures of TiO NPs, Au NPs, and graphene oxide (GO) platelets in aqueous solutions. The effect of Au and GO addition as well as nitrogen doping on the photocatalytic activity of the TiO thin films was investigated. The evaluation of the photocatalytic activity was performed by photodegradation of the organic methylene blue model dye pollutant under UV-visible light, >simulated sun> irradiation conditions. Our results show that the photocatalytic properties of TiO were significantly improved by the addition of Au NPs and rGO platelets. Nitrogen inclusion into the rGO structure further contributes to the enhancement of the TiO/Au/rGO nanocomposites photocatalytic activity.