Exfoliated and reorganized graphite oxide on titania nanoparticles as an auxiliary co-catalyst for photocatalytic solar conversion.

The hybrid of graphite oxide (GO)/TiO(2) was prepared through the spontaneous exfoliation of bulky graphite oxide and reorganization with TiO(2) nanoparticles as a solar conversion and hydrogen-generating photocatalyst. GO/TiO(2) showed enhanced activities for both photocurrent generation (in an electrode form) and hydrogen production (in a slurry form) than those of bare TiO(2) under UV light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of GO/TiO(2) is ascribed to the ability of graphitic layers in accepting and transporting electrons from excited TiO(2), promoting the charge separation. When GO was hybridized with platinized TiO(2) (Pt/TiO(2)), it showed a marked synergistic effect for the photocatalytic hydrogen production compared with GO/TiO(2) and Pt/TiO(2). This indicates that the cheap and abundant carbon material can be a good candidate for an electron attracting reservoir and an auxiliary co-catalyst for the photocatalytic hydrogen production.