(603e) Hydrothermal Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide-Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots (TiO2-GOQDs) Nanocomposites for Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Titanium dioxide-graphene oxide quantum dots (TiO₂-GOQDs) nanocomposites exhibit promising multifunctional absorbers in various photocatalytic activities especially in textile dye removal as the TiO₂-GOQDs nanocomposites can broaden the light absorption wavelengths, manipulate electron-hole behavior, and design active reaction sites. However, these properties and functions of TiO₂-GOQDs nanocomposites are highly dependent on their microstructures, particle size, and phase composition. In this research, the hydrothermal method with manipulated independent variables (temperature and pH) were used to synthesize TiO₂-GOQDs nanocomposites. The synthesized TiO₂-GOQDs nanocomposites were then characterized by XRD, TEM, DLS, BET, and FTIR and the performance of the synthesized TiO₂-GOQDs nanocomposites were evaluated as a photocatalyst to degrade methylene blue (MB) dye in an aqueous solution under UV light. The TEM, FTIR and XRD analysis revealed the good combination of GOQDs on the surface of TiO₂. The photocatalytic reaction experiment of TiO₂-GOQDs nanocomposites on MB dye exhibited enhanced photocatalytic performance than that of pure TiO₂. TiO₂-GOQDs nanocomposites have also shown better crystallinity which resulted in higher photocatalytic activity in removal of MB dye.