▎ 摘　　要

Few layer thick graphene sheets are exfoliated in an aqueous medium by using iron containing imidazolium based ionic liquid (IL; [C(16)mim][FeCl4]) in high yield exhibiting excellent dispersion stability. Subsequently, IL that stabilizes the graphene sheets is exploited for thein situpreparation of alpha-Fe(2)O(3)nanospindle (NS) decorated graphene sheets, for the first time. The prepared alpha-Fe2O3@graphene nanocomposite (NC) shows enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of an antibiotic, sulfamethoxazole, under visible light. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the NCs as compared to bare alpha-Fe(2)O(3)NSs is probed using computational simulations, where graphene is observed to sensitize alpha-Fe(2)O(3)NSs in the photoexcitation process. This increases the electron charge density in the conduction band of alpha-Fe(2)O(3)NSs, resulting in enhanced photocatalytic efficiency.