Influence of composition grafit oxide, irradiation-time variation analyzes on reduced graphene oxide - Copper oxide (rGO/CuO) composite toward photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ to methanol

Escalation of CO₂ concentration in atmosphere worsens the effect of global warming. CO₂ conversion to fuel using photocatalytic process is one of the solutions to reduce the gasses. Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) has specific surface area, high electron conductivity and adsorption capacity so that it's potentially applied in photocatalytic processes. CuO is a semiconductor which has a high specific surface area, high abundance and low cost. rGO which combined with semiconductor has an ability to store and conduct electron through transfer electron process that plays the most important role in photocatalytic reaction activity. This study uses rGO/CuO composite to convert CO₂ to methanol by photocatalytic process material to convert CO₂ into methanol. rGO and CuO were linked by ammonia in a various weight ratio (1 %, 2%, and 4 %). Photocatalytic of rGO/CuO is explored for reduction of CO₂ into methanol under the visible light irradiation with irradiation time 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h. rGO/CuO material is characterized using XRD, SEM, BET and UV-Vis, while the amount of produced CO₂ is examined using GC-MS. rGO/CuO composites with ratio 1 % and irradiation time 2 h exhibited good photocatalytic activity owing high yield methanol. rGO/CuO composites are potential materials to convert CO₂ into methanol.