Rapid photodegradation of methylene blue dye by rGO- V2O5 nano composite

Abstract Here we present rapid photo degradation of Methylene Blue (MB) dye using novel rGO-V2O5 nanocomposite synthesized through simple and fast methods. In the present work, rGO, V2O5 nanoparticles (NP's) and rGO- V2O5 nanocomposite were synthesized through modified Hummer's method, sol-gel method and sonochemical methods, respectively. The nano composite and other compounds were studied through X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to understand structural and morphological information. XRD studies confirm the formation of compounds in single phase where Raman spectroscopic results corroborate the XRD results. Micrographs of SEM show excellent distribution of V2O5 nanoparticle on rGO flakes. The photocatalytic activity of rGO-V2O5 nanocomposite was tested by photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in visible light irradiation. A rapid degradation of the MB was observed where 71% degradation of MB happens in just 20 min duration. A concentration varying effect on the degradation is also being studied where 30 wt% solution of photocatalyst shows highest rate constant, 1.84 × 10−2 min−1 and rapid degradation of MB.