Abstract

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), especially photocatalysis, have arisen as a promising solution for the decomposition of harmful organic pollutants in contaminated water. Among various photocatalytic materials, nanocomposites based on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) coupled with semiconductor(s) and/or metal nanoparticles are of significant relevance since they have suitable physicochemical and optical properties such as excellent adsorption of pollutants from aqueous solutions, solar light harvesting tendencies, high photocharge separation efficiency, and excellent stability. Hence, RGO-based composites can have superior photocatalytic activity regarding the photodegradation of a broad range of organic pollutants. This chapter mainly focuses on the photocatalytic performances of recently developed RGO-based binary, ternary, and quaternary nanocomposites. The role of RGO in the improvement of photocatalysts is explained taking into account the most recent literature. An improvement strategy like metal and non-metal doping of RGO or semiconductors is also outlined. The photocatalytic activities of RGO-based ternary nanocomposites such as RGO/dual semiconductors, RGO/metal/semiconductor, and RGO/dual metal-free semiconductors are also briefly explained. The photocatalytic performance of RGO-based ternary nanocomposites is described. Furthermore, the plausible photocatalytic pathway for generation of free radicals by RGO-based composites is also explained in detail. This book chapter will be useful to researchers in the field of material science for developing new RGO-based photocatalysts with superior activity and low production costs.