One-step nano-engineering of dispersed Ag-ZnO nanoparticles' hybrid in reduced graphene oxide matrix and its superior photocatalytic property

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been engineered with a hybrid of dispersed Ag and ZnO nanoparticles by a one-step hydrothermal technique using graphene oxide, AgNO3 and Zn(CH3COO)(2) precursors without adding any external toxic reagent. Formation of the Ag-ZnO-rGO hybrid is confirmed from X-ray diffractometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The hybrid shows an enhanced and faster ultraviolet photocatalytic property i.e. 97.2% degradation of methyl orange in 90 minutes as compared to the values of 56%, 84% and 60% by bare ZnO, Ag-ZnO and ZnO-rGO, respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic property is due to an efficient charge transfer process from ZnO to both Ag and rGO. This result would be beneficial for synthesizing efficient ZnO-based ternary photocatalysts with different combinations of metal and graphene, and understanding their photocatalytic performance in photoreaction processes.