Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation Activity Using the VO/RGO Composite.

Semiconductor-based photocatalyst materials played an important role in the degradation of organic compounds in recent years. Photocatalysis is a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process for degrading organic compounds. In this work, vanadium pentoxide (VO) and VO/RGO (reduced graphene oxide) composite were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis, etc. Raman analysis shows the occurrence of RGO characteristic peaks in the composite and different vibrational modes of VO. The band gap of flake-shaped VO is reduced and its light absorption capacity is enhanced by making its composite with RGO. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) was studied using both VO and VO/RGO composite photocatalyst materials. The VO/RGO composite exhibits a superior photocatalytic performance to VO. Both catalyst and light play an important role in the degradation process.