Green synthesis of a photocatalyst Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite using Cleistocalyx operculatus leaf extract for degradation of organic dyes

Green synthesis has emerged as a sustainable approach for the fabrication of nanomaterials in the last few de-cades. Leaf extracts have been considered low-cost and highly efficient reactants for the synthesis of nano -particles. In this study, an aqueous extract of Cleistocalyx operculatus leaves was employed as a reductant to synthesize Ag/TiO2 nanocomposites. The morphology, structure, and interface interaction of the Ag/TiO2 nanocomposites were investigated by (i) X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine the crystallinity, (ii) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine the morphologies, (iii) energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to determine the elemental composition and distribution, and (iv) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) to un-derstand the optical properties. The results showed that Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) with particle sizes of 20-40 nm homogeneously covered the surface of the TiO2 nanoparticles. The green-synthesized Ag/TiO2 nano-composite also exhibited an excellent photodegradation ability for Rhodamine B with a removal percentage up to 91.4% after 180 min of photocatalytic reaction.

Automated summary

Green synthesis has become a sustainable approach for fabricating nanomaterials. Leaf extracts are considered as low-cost and efficient reactants for nanoparticle synthesis. In this study, Ag/TiO2 nanocomposites were successfully synthesized using an aqueous extract of Cleistocalyx operculatus leaves, showing excellent photodegradation properties for Rhodamine B.