Chemically reduced graphene oxide (RGO) can be functionalized by eosin Y (EY). The formation of the stable aqueous EY functionalized graphene (EY-RGO) suspension is due to the non-covalent interaction between EY and RGO surface via hydrogen bonding and pep stacking. EY-RGO was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy.
Spectral and photoelectrochemical studies indicate that photoinduced electron transfer occurs from EY to RGO. The EY-RGO is photocatalytic active for water reduction to produce hydrogen. The average production rate of H 2 for the photocatalyst (w EY /w RGO ΒΌ 1) in a 10 vol % triethanolamine aqueous solution can reach 3.35 mmol g Γ1 h Γ1 and 0.40 mmol g Γ1 h Γ1 under 30 h UVevis and 10 h visible light irradiation, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of EY-RGO is superior to that of RGO, graphene oxide (GO), and EY-GO. Modification EY-RGO with Pt nanoparticles can further improve photocatalytic activity. All these features demonstrated that organic sensitizers functionalized graphene provided a nice candidate as a photocatalyst for H 2 generation from water under solar light irradiation.