Tuning the interfacial electronic transitions of bi-dimensional nanocomposites (pGO/ZnO) towards photocatalytic degradation and energy application

Abstract

The two-dimensional carbonaceous nanocomposites tend to have extreme capacitance and catalysis activity because of their surface tunability of oxygenated moieties aiding in photocatalytic degradation. Herewith, we performed microwave-assisted alkaline treatment of graphene oxide sheets to attain defective sites on the graphitic surface by altering microwave parameters. The synergism of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the graphitic surface impacts electronic transitions paving paths for vacant oxygen sites to promote photocatalytic degradation and catalytic activity. The photocatalytic efficiency of the synthesized material for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) because of its susceptibility in industrial effluents, and the degradation rate was estimated to be around 87.5% within a short span of 30 min by utilizing UV irradiation. Concomitantly, the pGO/ZnO coated substrate exhibits a specific capacity of 561.7 mAh/g and incredible coulombic efficiency illustrating pseudocapacitive nature. Furthermore, on subjecting the composite modified electrode to oxygen evolution catalysis due to the vacant sites located at the lattice edges attributing to the d-d coulombic interaction within the local electron clouds possessing a low overpotential of 205 mV with a Tafel slope of 84 mV/dec. This modest approach boosts an eco-friendly composite to develop photocatalytic degradability and bifunctional catalytic activity for futuristic necessity.