Graphene oxide reinforced bismuth titanate for photocatalytic degradation of azo dye (DB15) prepared by hydrothermal method

Abstract The graphene oxide (GO) reinforced bismuth titanate (BT) nanocomposites were prepared using the hydrothermal method. The prepared nanocomposites were characterized using different analytical techniques to study the structural, morphological, optical, and luminescence properties. The X-ray diffraction pattern of bare and GO reinforced BT nanocomposites reveals the formation of bismuth titanate structure. The morphology of GO substituted samples exhibits the formation of a rod-like structure with decreased particle size compared to bare BT. The EDS spectra of GO incorporated samples show the presence of Bi, Ti, C, and O. The Raman spectra of the prepared samples clearly show the variation in Raman modes of Bi–O and O–Ti–O after substitution of GO. The shift in the XRD and Raman peak position of the GO substituted samples confirm the successful addition of GO and reduction in the crystallinity. BT's reflectance decreased in the visible region after addition of GO, which implies the light absorption is higher in the visible region and enhances the photocatalytic activity of BT. Also, the substitution GO decreased the bandgap energy of BT. The photocatalytic activity of 5% GO substituted nanocomposite completely degrades the direct blue 15. The obtained results conclude that the 5% GO substituted BT nanocomposite beneficial for the degradation of azo dyes, and it will be helpful for industrial wastewater treatment and water remediation.