Two step method for preparing TiO₂/Ag/rGO heterogeneous nanocomposites and its photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation

Because the Fermi level of precious metal silver and titanium dioxide are different, the contact between the two can form a Schottky barrier, which is beneficial to reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron pairs. The unique surface plasmon resonance effect of the silver can promote the absorption of light by titanium dioxide, thereby increasing the utilization of light by the composite. Graphene not only has excellent electrical conductivity, but also has a large specific surface area and good adsorption capacity, and is considered to be the most potential carrier. In this study, we introduced silver and graphene into TiO₂ nanowires, and prepared TiO₂/Ag/rGO heterogeneous nanocomposites nanocomposites. Firstly, the morphology of titanium dioxide was modified by high-voltage electrospinning technology to increase its specific surface area and increase its active site involved in photocatalysis. Then, using hydrothermal method combines the good characteristics of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and precious metal silver, enhances the transfer of photogenerated electrons, and prolongs the lifetime of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. Thereby, the photocatalytic activity of the composite material is improved, so the prepared TiO₂/Ag/rGO heterogeneous nanocomposites nanocomposites can degrade the rhodamine B solution by 92.9% in 80 min.