Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation Activity Using the V₂O₅/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 (V₂O₅) and V₂O₅/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 V₂O₅. The band gap of flake-shaped V₂O₅ 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 V₂O₅ and V₂O₅/RGO composite photocatalyst materials. The V₂O₅/RGO composite exhibits a superior photocatalytic performance to V₂O₅. Both catalyst and light play an important role in the degradation process.