Layered siloxene sheets, in which top and bottom of the silicon sheets are linked by the -H and -OH groups, were prepared from the Zintl-type CaSi<sub>2</sub> phase through an exchange reaction in the presence of aqueous hydrochloric solution. The siloxane sheets were combined with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets through the solid-state reaction using solid hydrazine. The resulting composites composed of siloxene and RGO sheets were completely characterized by X-ray diffraction, high resolution TEM, SEM, infrared spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The TEM images show that the siloxane and RGO sheets are stacked almost alternatively. The absorption edge of the composites moves toward longer wavelengths close to 510 nm, which implies a decreasing band gap. Their photocatalytic activity was evaluated by measuring the time-dependent photocurrent under visible-light irradiation. The typical photocurrent-time response curves were obtained from several on-off cycles. The photocurrent magnitudes of this composites are significantly higher than those of pristine siloxene sample under visible-light irradiation. The origin of the enhanced activity for the composites will be presented in detail based on their structural, thermochemical, optical, and electrical properties.

Layered siloxene sheets and their composites for photocatalytic applications

254th National Meeting (2017)

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