Evaluation of sol-gel and solvothermal method on titanium dioxide and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite

Abstract

The present study compares two synthesis routes to obtain titanium dioxide and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites that could be used as photoelectrodes in a water-splitting photoelectrocatalytic system. The nanocomposites were obtained using in-situ sol-gel and solvothermal methods as fabrication routes. Subsequently, the materials obtained were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques. The results indicated a strong interaction between reduced graphene oxide and titanium dioxide nanomaterials using both synthesis processes; however, the in-situ sol-gel method exhibited more significant conservation of the aromatic rings of the graphene structure and a lower bandgap (2.45 eV), which are suitable characteristics for its potential use in photoelectrocatalytic processes.