Increasing the photocatalytic degradation rate of a rGO/PVA nanocomposite decorated with ZnO nanoparticles

Herein, to enhance the photocatalytic performance of reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were added into the rGO/PVA structure, and a triple rGO/PVA/ZnO nanocomposite was developed. The synthesized materials were analyzed by employing a series of measurements, including XRD, FTIR, FESEM, Raman, TEM, and UV-Vis. The FESEM results showed that rGO/PVA/ZnO had a homogenous structure with pores. In addition, the TEM results demonstrated that ZnO NPs were successfully incorporated into the rGO/PVA structure and confirmed the formation of a triple-nanocomposite structure. The rGO/PVA/ZnO showed considerable light absorption in the visible range, efficiently hindered the photoinduced electron-hole recombination, and revealed a high photocatalytic performance for decomposing methylene blue under artificial sunlight illumination. This triple-nanocomposite is an excellent landscape for broad applications in wastewater remediation.