Green chemistry synthesis of a nanocomposite graphene hydrogel with three-dimensional nano-mesopores for photocatalytic H2 production

Abstract

In this work, we have developed a nanocomposite graphene hydrogel (NGH) based on green chemistry, employing vitamin C (VC) to attain a supramolecular 3D network of hybrid nanostructured materials. Here, it is shown that the hydrogel is an appropriate and robust host for stable a TiO₂ semiconductor catalyst sensitized with visible light responsive nanostructured particles. The NGH is tailored with well-defined nano-mesopores, a large surface area, a highly dispersive nanosheet–nanorods–nanoparticle composite, and enhance visible light absorption. Finally, we demonstrate practical applications of utilizing the NGH with water containing pores for photocatalytic H₂ production. An important pragmatic consideration of using a NGH is the ease of separation and recovery of the nanosized catalyst after the photoreaction which would otherwise require extensive and expensive nanofiltration.