The Addition of Graphene and Magnetite Materials in TiO₂/CuO Catalyst for Enhancing Photosonocatalytic Performance and Reusability

In the present study, TiO₂/CuO with the addition of graphene and magnetite materials were investigated as a catalyst for waste water removal through the photosonocatalytic process. TiO₂/CuO/graphene and Fe₃O₄/TiO₂/CuO/graphene were synthesized by using the sol-gel method. Their physical properties were characterized by using X-ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Transmission Electron Microscope, and Breneur Emmet Teller (BET) surface area analyzer. The Photosonocatalytic activity was examined under visible light irradiation and 40 kHz ultrasound frequency with methyl orange (MO) as a model of organic pollutant. Compared to photocatalytic and sonocatalytic process, photosonocatalytic activity can improve the degradation process due to a synergistic effect between photocatalytic and sonocatalytic process at the same time. The addition of graphene materials can improve the charge carrier separation and prevent recombination electron and holes. Therefore, the photosonocatalytic performance increases significantly with the addition of graphene materials. The addition of magnetite materials is not only can enhance the photosonocatalytic performance but also can improve the separation process for reuse the catalyst. The photosonocatalytic mechanism was correlated with their physical properties and visible as well as ultrasound irradiation.