Enhancement of photocatalytic activity using ternary Au@Pt-TiO2/nano-GO heterojunction for environmental remediation and clean energy production

Abstract

In the present study, an attempt has been made to design ternary multifunctional nanocomposite photocatalyst based on Au@Pt-TiO2 core–shell nanoparticles anchored onto nano-graphene oxide (nano-GO) through facile one-pot solvothermal process. Evaluation of UV and visible light photocatalytic activities against MB dye and diuron pesticide decomposition, demonstrated a remarkable enhancement in photocatalytic performances, which indicates their potential as powerful photocatalyst. The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of the designed ternary Au@Pt-TiO2/nano-GO could be attributed to the heterojunction structure and to the enhanced charge separation and light absorption of nano-GO and Au, Pt NPs. Before application, the ternary Au@Pt-TiO2/nano-GO photocatalyst was fully characterised (structural, morphology and composition) using powerful instruments including x-ray diffraction powder (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The optical response was investigated using UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The ternary Au@Pt-TiO2/nano-GO photocatalyst exhibits high crystallinity and high purity with uniform behaviour on size and shape. The hybrid Au@Pt-TiO2 nanoparticles were found to be well dispersed on nano-GO surface, which make this heterojunction very efficient for photocatalytic applications.