Study of photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of graphene oxide nanosheets

Graphene oxide (GO) is a biocompatible material that is easily dispersible in water making its mixing easy with ceramic or polymer matrixes while trying to enhance their properties. In the present study, the photocatalytic and antibacterial activities of GO have been studied. GO has been synthesized by modified Hummer's method. The synthesized material has been characterized using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV-visible spectroscopy. HR-TEM confirmed the formation of GO nanosheets. It has been observed that GO nanosheets with excellent morphology exhibit efficient photocatalytic activity towards Congo red (CR) dye. Using advanced oxidation process, toxic organic dye CR is oxidized through reaction with reactive oxidative species generated by GO photocatalyst under UV-light irradiation. The study reflects new possibilities of GO for degradation of toxic organic pollutants. The effect of GO dose has also been studied and the reaction has been evaluated to be first order. Antibacterial activity of GO has been evaluated via well diffusion assay by growing Escherichia coli and Bacillus on LB agar plates.