Highly Efficient Metal‐Free Visible Light Driven Photocatalyst: Graphene Oxide/Polythiophene Composite

Abstract

Graphene oxide/polythiophene (GO/PTh) composites were synthesized by in-situ polymerization of thiophene (Th) monomers on GO surfaces. Remarkable performance of GO/PTh composites for methylene blue (MB) photo-degradation under visible light has been achieved by tuning GO/Th ratio and graphene oxidation degrees. 100 % MB degradation was achieved by the composite within 30 min under visible light, its catalytic activity (0.1149 min À1 ) is 382 and 41 times higher than that of PTh (0.0003 min À1 ) and GO (0.0028 min À1 ), respectively. The results of MB adsorption experiment, ultraviolet-visible (UVvis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that combination of GO and PTh increases MB adsorption, decreases the band gap and enhances photo-electron transfer. The composite with 36 % PTh (at the fed GO/Th weight ratio of 1:2) shows the highest catalytic activity where MB adsorption ability by GO and photo-electron producing ability by PTh in the composite is well matched. The catalytic activity can be further enhanced by changing graphene oxidation degree by controlling graphite/KMnO 4 ratio and post-reaction time during GO preparation. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy analyses have shown that increasing oxidation degree of GO leads to a stronger p-p interaction between GO and PTh and a more electron-rich PTh, resulting in higher catalytic activity.[a] Dr.

Synthesis and Catalytic Application of Poly(2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl‐1‐propanesulfonic acid‐co‐acrylamide) Grafted on Graphene Oxide

“…The band gap of the GO and GO–poly(AMPS– co –AM) were estimated of 5.9 and 4.7 eV, respectively, by extrapolation of the corresponding curves. Clearly, the synthesized GO–poly(AMPS– co –AM) with a narrow band gap (toward GO) can be better semiconductor than the pristine GO and may have an application in optical fields and/or can be also used as a photocatalyst for degradation of different organic dye polluters …”

Recent Developments about Conductive Polymer Based Composite Photocatalysts

“…Moreover, the performance of polythiophene incorporated in catalyst is also evaluated in the study done recently by Yu et al with graphene oxide [ 69 ]. It is observed that complete photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) model pollutants is reached after 30 min of visible light irradiation, as the catalytic activity of graphene oxide/polythiophene (GO/PTh) is enhanced by 382 and 41 times than that of pristine PTh and GO, respectively.…”

Fabrication of Water‐Soluble Polythiophene/Poly (sulfonic acid diphenyl aniline)/Polyethylene Oxide Electrospun Nanofibers and Their Antioxidant Activities

“…Since the properties of nanofibers can be changed by device parameters such as the applied voltage, the distance of the needle to the collector, the rotation speed of the collector, the injection speed and the polymer concentration, it is widely used to obtain nanofibers. [3,4] In this study, polythiophene (PTh), [5][6][7] one of the most used members of conductive polymers, [8,9] which is resistant to environmental conditions and has a stable chemical structure, was synthesized by chemical oxidation. Then, PTh/PSDA composites were obtained by synthesizing poly(sulfonic acid diphenyl aniline) (PSDA), [10] which is the sulfonated form of polyaniline on PTh.…”

“…In this study, polythiophene (PTh), [5–7] one of the most used members of conductive polymers, [8,9] which is resistant to environmental conditions and has a stable chemical structure, was synthesized by chemical oxidation. Then, PTh/PSDA composites were obtained by synthesizing poly(sulfonic acid diphenyl aniline) (PSDA), [10] which is the sulfonated form of polyaniline on PTh.…”