Enhanced Photochemical/Electrochemical Performance of Graphene Benefited from Morphological Change as Substrate of Typical Composites

Abstract Graphene supporting nanoparticles (NPs@G) are one of the hottest topics in the field of graphene application because the resultant nanocomposites inhibit the intrinsic aggregation of the free NPs and facilitate NP recycle as well. However, the morphological change of graphene in NPs@G and subsequent effects on their performances are now neglected. Here, for the first time, it is verified that graphene confined in NPs@G becomes flatter than the separate graphene sheets by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analysis. Most importantly, the flatter graphene in NPs@G can enhance electron transfer across/along the graphene surface, resulting in much better performance of the composites for photochemical/electrochemical water treatment. These findings are believed to help to better understand the role of graphene in NPs@G and design novel graphene–based nanocomposites which are the hot topics in almost all aspects.