Reduced Graphene Oxide Supported Molybdenum Oxide Hybrid Nanocomposites: High Performance Electrode Material for Supercapacitor and Photocatalytic Applications.

Using a simple solution based synthesis route, hexagonal MoO₃ (h-MoO₃) nanorods on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets were prepared. The structure and morphology of resulting RGO-MoO₃ nanocomposite were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The optical property was studied using UV-Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The RGO-MoO₃ nanocomposites were used as an electrode for supercapacitor application and photocatalyst for photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. We demonstrated that the RGO-MoO₃ electrode is capable of delivering high specific capacitance of 134 F/g at current density of 1 A/g with outstanding cyclic stability for 2000 cycles. The RGOMoO₃ photocatalyst degrades 95% of MB dye within 90 min, and a considerable recyclability up to 4 cycles was observed. The quenching effect of scavengers test confirms holes are main reactive species in the photocatalytic degradation of MB. Further, the charge transfer process between RGO and MoO₃ was schematically demonstrated.