TY - JOUR
T1 - A Laser-Induced Graphene-Titanium(IV) Oxide Composite for Adsorption Enhanced Photodegradation of Methyl Orange
AU - Tesfahunegn, Brhane A.
AU - Kleinberg, Maurício Nunes
AU - Powell, Camilah D.
AU - Arnusch, Christopher J.
N1 - Funding Information: B.A.T. thanks Albert Katz International School (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev). M.N.K. thanks the Ministry of Absorption in Science of Israel for support. C.D.P. thanks the Fulbright US Scholar Program. This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (Grant 2417/21). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/3/1
Y1 - 2023/3/1
N2 - Numerous treatment methods such as biological digestion, chemical oxidation, and coagulation have been used to treat organic micropollutants. However, such wastewater treatment methods can be either inefficient, expensive, or environmentally unsound. Here, we embedded TiO2 nanoparticles in laser-induced graphene (LIG) and obtained a highly efficient photocatalyst composite with pollutant adsorption properties. TiO2 was added to LIG and lased to form a mixture of rutile and anatase TiO2 with a decreased band gap (2.90 ± 0.06 eV). The LIG/TiO2 composite adsorption and photodegradation properties were tested in solutions of a model pollutant, methyl orange (MO), and compared to the individual and mixed components. The adsorption capacity of the LIG/TiO2 composite was 92 mg/g using 80 mg/L MO, and together the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation resulted in 92.8% MO removal in 10 min. Adsorption enhanced photodegradation, and a synergy factor of 2.57 was seen. Understanding how LIG can modify metal oxide catalysts and how adsorption can enhance photocatalysis might lead to more effective pollutant removal and offer alternative treatment methods for polluted water.
AB - Numerous treatment methods such as biological digestion, chemical oxidation, and coagulation have been used to treat organic micropollutants. However, such wastewater treatment methods can be either inefficient, expensive, or environmentally unsound. Here, we embedded TiO2 nanoparticles in laser-induced graphene (LIG) and obtained a highly efficient photocatalyst composite with pollutant adsorption properties. TiO2 was added to LIG and lased to form a mixture of rutile and anatase TiO2 with a decreased band gap (2.90 ± 0.06 eV). The LIG/TiO2 composite adsorption and photodegradation properties were tested in solutions of a model pollutant, methyl orange (MO), and compared to the individual and mixed components. The adsorption capacity of the LIG/TiO2 composite was 92 mg/g using 80 mg/L MO, and together the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation resulted in 92.8% MO removal in 10 min. Adsorption enhanced photodegradation, and a synergy factor of 2.57 was seen. Understanding how LIG can modify metal oxide catalysts and how adsorption can enhance photocatalysis might lead to more effective pollutant removal and offer alternative treatment methods for polluted water.
KW - adsorbate
KW - emerging contaminants
KW - laser-induced graphene
KW - nanocomposite
KW - photocatalyst
KW - titanium(IV) oxide
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85149663786&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13050947
DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/nano13050947
M3 - Article
C2 - 36903825
SN - 2079-4991
VL - 13
JO - Nanomaterials
JF - Nanomaterials
IS - 5
M1 - 947
ER -