Behavior of ZnO-doped TiO2/rGO nanocomposite for water treatment enhancement

Abstract Zinc oxide doped titanium dioxide/reduced graphene oxide (ZnO-TiO2/rGO) nanocomposite was fabricated by the two-step hydrothermal method and used for adsorption and photodegradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution under UV irradiation. The characteristics of the catalyst material were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface area, thermal gravimetric analysis, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The results showed that the presence and uniform distribution of TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles on the rGO surface with an average diameter of 20 – 30 nm and high specific surface area (182.52 m2/g). The photodegradation was investigated via the pH media. The equilibrium adsorption at pH 9 achieved the highest adsorption efficiency after 60 minutes (43.68%) and 60 minutes photodegradation (99.84%). According to the results, the photodegradation using ZnO-TiO2/rGO nanocomposite was stated to be a promising pathway for removing the organic dye from water.