Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation Activity Using the V 2 O 5 /RGO Composite.

Semiconductor-based photocatalyst materials played an important role in the degradation of organic compounds in recent years. Photocatalysis is a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly process for degrading organic compounds. In this work, vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ) and V 2 O 5 /RGO (reduced graphene oxide) composite were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, and UV-Vis spectroscopic analysis, etc. Raman analysis shows the occurrence of RGO characteristic peaks in the composite and different vibrational modes of V 2 O 5 . The band gap of flake-shaped V 2 O 5 is reduced and its light absorption capacity is enhanced by making its composite with RGO. The photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) was studied using both V 2 O 5 and V 2 O 5 /RGO composite photocatalyst materials. The V 2 O 5 /RGO composite exhibits a superior photocatalytic performance to V 2 O 5 . Both catalyst and light play an important role in the degradation process.