Abstract
A low-cost sol-gel process was used to synthesize hybrids of graphene and titania without the use of surfactants or additives. A less frequently used titania precursor, titanium oxychloride, was used to yield TiO2 nanoparticles and dispersed graphene was used in the reaction mixture to provide a surface for the nano-sized titania particles' dispersion. The obtained samples after filtration and drying were calcined at 400 degrees C to get an anatase phase titania powder. Various techniques like XRD, SEM, and TEM have investigated the structure of the prepared samples. The hybrid's structural morphology shows the incorporation of the transition metal oxide (TiO2) particles into the dispersed layers of graphene. The size of the TiO2 particles and the nature of the interaction among the prepared hybrid materials were explored. Nitrogen gas physisorption studies revealed that graphene adds variety to the pore size of hybrid materials which is a special property of hybrid structures. Additionally, the catalytic performance of hybrid nanostructured samples was investigated in the catalytic reaction for benzyl alcohol oxidation. It was found that the addition of graphene content in the hybrid increases the rate of reaction. The increase in the reaction rate is attributed to the ease of electron transfer through graphene layers. This study provides a systematic view of graphene/titania hybrids' preparation, their resulting properties, and their catalytic performance in the benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction. Results and conclusions show interesting possibility of using two-dimensional graphene with nanoparticles for further studies in benzyl alcohol oxidation.