In situ one pot synthesis of nanoscale TiO₂-anchored reduced graphene oxide (RGO) for improved photodegradation of 5-fluorouracil drug

This paper reports an ‘in situ’ precipitation-reduction reaction for the scalable production of nanoscale TiO₂-anchored reduced graphene oxide (RGO–TiO₂) nanocomposites. RGO–TiO₂ nanocomposites with different weight ratios were prepared by the simultaneous hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) and the chemical reduction of graphene oxide. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Ultraviolet–Visible diffused reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. The most commonly used cytostatic (antineoplastic) drug in cancer therapies [5-fluorouracil (5-FU)] was used as a model pollutant. To examine the effects of RGO, the photocatalytic degradation of 5-FU was examined by varying the operational parameters, such as catalyst amounts, solution pH, effect of scavenger, and TiO₂ mass contents. Under the optimal experimental conditions, 97% of the 5-FU present was photodegraded over RGO–TiO₂ (RGO–T2) within 90 min under UV light. The RGO–TiO₂ composites (RGO–T2) exhibited two times higher photocatalytic activity than that of pure TiO₂. The improved photocatalytic activities of the RGO–TiO₂ nanocomposites were attributed to the homogeneous distribution of TiO₂ nanoparticles over the surface of the RGO nanosheet, enhancement of the light absorption intensity, and suppressed recombination of photoinduced electron–hole pairs.