Enhancement of charge transfer rate at mixed morphology TiO2/graphene interface by Al3+

Applying conductive coatings on the surface of non-conductive materials can effectively reduce the hazards caused by static electricity during the production process. However, commercially available TiO₂ conductive powder relies on rare minerals and produces waste acids and bases. Therefore, we prepared Al-doped TiO₂/graphene composites, which combine the advantages of TiO₂ homojunction, ion doping, heterojunction, and rod morphology with excellent electrical conductivity (0.161 Ω·cm). In particular, the doping of Al³⁺ doubles its conductivity. This is due to the introduction of Al³⁺, which generates oxygen vacancies and so increases the carrier concentration. Furthermore, the introduction of Al³⁺ generates new conductive pathways (Al–O–C) and increases the content of highly electrochemically active oxygen-containing functional groups, leading to a significant enhancement of carrier transfer efficiency. Accordingly, the enhanced carrier concentration and transfer efficiency enhance the conductive properties of T-G-Al and provide new ideas for the preparation of conductive coatings.