Efficient Photocatalytic Core-Shell Synthesis of Titanate Nanowire/rGO

Wide bandgap semiconductor-based photocatalysts are usually limited by their low solar energy conversion efficiency due to their limited absorption solar wavelength, their rapid surface recombination of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and their low charge-carrier mobility. Here, we report a novel stepwise solution synthesis for achieving a new photocatalytic core-shell consisting of a titanate nanowire/reduced graphene oxide shell (or titanate/rGO) 1D-nanocomposite. The new core-shell nanocomposite maximized the specific surface area, largely reduced the charge transfer resistance and reaction energy barrier, and significantly improved the absorption of visible light. The core-shell nanocomposites' large on/off current ratio and rapid photo-responses boosted the photocurrent by 30.0%, the photocatalysis rate by 50.0%, and the specific surface area by 16.4% when compared with the results for the pure titanate nanowire core. Our numerical simulations support the effective charge separation on the new core-shell nanostructure, which can help further advance the novel photocatalysis.