Preparation and Properties of Dye-Sensitizing Graphene/TiO₂ based Photocatalytic Composite Film by Electrospray Method

In this study, a dye-sensitizing graphene/TiO₂(DTG) based photocatalytic composite film (TPU-DTG) was developed to address the challenging recovery of graphene photocatalyst powder from treated sewage. The composite film was created by incorporating self-made dye-sensitizing graphene/TiO₂ onto an electrospun polyurethane film using electrostatic spraying technology. The structure and morphology of the composite film were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Additionally, the tensile properties and thermal stability of the composite film were examined. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated the presence of the diffraction peak of the DTG 101 crystal plane. SEM observation of TPU-4%DTG showed that the photocatalytic nanoparticles were evenly dispersed on the fiber membrane without visible agglomeration. TPU-4%DTG presented a maximum fracture stress of 17.2128 N and an elongation at a break of 335.43%. The photocatalytic performance study revealed that TPU-4%DTG was capable of eliminating over 99% of methylene blue (MB) within 10 h, and even after five cycles of photocatalytic experiments, the removal rate of MB remained above 90%.