Synergistic effect of PtSe2 and graphene sheets supported by TiO2 as cocatalysts synthesized via microwave techniques for improved photocatalytic activity

Abstract

Here we report a new composite material consisting of TiO₂ nanoparticles grown in the presence of a layered PtSe₂/graphene hybrid as a high-performance photocatalytic material. The heterogeneous PtSe₂–graphene/TiO₂ nanocomposites were successfully synthesized through a facile and fast microwave-assisted method. The prepared composites were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopic analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-vis absorbance spectra and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) analyses were obtained. The catalytic behavior was investigated through the decomposition of rhodamine B (Rh. B) as a standard dye and Texbrite MST-L as an industrial dye. This extraordinary photocatalytic activity arises from the positive synergetic effect between the PtSe₂ and graphene components in this heterogeneous photocatalyst. In this study the graphene behaves as an electron transfer agent, collector, contributor and a source of active adsorption sites. The optical properties were also observed to be affected by the different weight% of graphene in the composites by observing their respective band gaps from DRS spectra.