Graphene Derivatives from Graphite Modified by Metal Oxides for Photocatalytic Usage

Environmental concerns, emerging pollution, and an increase in energy consumption lead to new technologies and materials. New materials and technologies should fulfill the requirements of green chemistry and to be environmentally friendly. It is preferable to use recycled materials or ones that exist in nature and can be used without rigorous treatment. Graphene is a material that can be used in many applications due to its unique characteristics. Graphene can be obtained from natural sources without excessive use of chemicals of waste production. Various modifications of graphene are known. Graphene and its modification can be used in heterogeneous catalysis, photovoltaics, energy storage and conversion, and many other applications. Graphene oxide is a material which is easy to obtain, possess very interesting characteristics and susceptible to modifications. Graphene oxide can be obtained from natural graphite. It possesses great specific surface area and surface functional groups. This allows to interact with organic and inorganic pollutants. It can be modified with metal oxides and produce photocatalytic active composites. Photocatalytic composites can be used in pollution mitigation activities. Our research group works on project where graphene oxide modified with metal oxide gives composite which is suitable for photodegradation of organic dyes. First results show that obtained composites are good base for further research and track on the road to efficient low cost, environmentally friendly photocatalyst.