In situ green synthesis of Ag nanoparticles on graphene oxide/TiO2 nanocomposite and their catalytic activity for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol, congo red and methylene blue

The Ag/RGO/TiO2 nanocomposite was synthesized through an environmentally benign, simple, cost efficient, surfactant-free and green method using Euphorbia helioscopia L. leaf extract as a stabilizing and reducing agent. The E. helioscopia L leaf extract was used for the reduction of Ag+ ions and GO to Ag NPs and RGO, respectively. The GO/TiO2 and Ag/RGO/TiO2 nanocomposites were characterized by FT-IR, UV-vis, TEM, XRD, SEM, EDS and ICP techniques. The Ag/RGO/TiO2 nanocomposite was highly active for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) in aqueous media at an ambient temperature. The Ag/RGO/TiO2 nanocomposite was easily separated and recovered from the reaction mixture by centrifugation and reused for several cycles without any significant loss of catalytic activity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.