Pulsed Laser‐Engineered TiO 2 @Graphene Oxide Nanocomposites With Tunable Optoelectronic Properties for Rapid Blue‐Light Photocatalytic Degradation

ABSTRACT Increasing water pollution from industrial effluents necessitates the development of efficient wastewater treatment technologies. Herein, titanium dioxide–functionalized graphene oxide nanocomposites (TiO 2 @GO NCs) were synthesized via a surfactant‐free pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) approach. A Ti target was ablated in an aqueous GO suspension using a 1064 nm pulsed laser under optimized laser fluence to achieve uniform dispersion and controlled nanostructure formation. Comprehensive structural and optical characterizations (UV–Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, lifetime decay analysis, Bio‐TEM, SAED, XRD, EDX and FTIR) revealed well‐dispersed spherical TiO 2 nanoparticles (21.2 ± 12.9 nm) anchored onto ultrathin GO sheets with a polycrystalline anatase phase. The resulting NCs exhibited favourable optoelectronic properties and efficient charge separation. Under blue light, the optimized TiO 2 @GO NCs achieved 99.2% methylene blue degradation within 60 min, and 75.3% total organic carbon (TOC) mineralization. These findings demonstrate the strong potential of TiO 2 @GO NCs as efficient photocatalysts for advanced water purification and environmental remediation applications.