Graphene-based Composites as Highly Efficient and Robust Photocatalytic Systems

Attributing to its plethora of intriguing physicochemical properties, graphene represents an interesting platform for the conceptualisation of advanced engineering materials and technologies. Particularly, in the realm of heterogeneous photocatalysis, the efficiency of conventional semiconductor photocatalysts like TiO2, ZnO, CdS, and WO3 can be increased several folds through amalgamation with graphene, specifically via tuning charge carrier dynamics and morphology control. Meanwhile, the rational modification of the sp2-hybridised network of graphene, primarily through the insertion of heteroatoms with different electronegativity, reorganises the electrons within the honeycomb lattice. This, in turn, results in the opening of a sizeable band gap and creates adequate catalytic active sites, thereby outspreading the application potential of graphene-based materials in visible light photocatalysis. In this chapter, we, therefore, collate the various graphene-based tactics that are currently under consideration to augment the photocatalytic performance of existing systems and conceptualise new ones.