Green synthesis of rGO/Ag2WO4 nanocomposite using Phyllanthus amarus leaf extract for enhanced antimicrobial and photocatalytic dye degradation applications
摘要
A novel reduced graphene oxide-supported silver tungstate (rGO/Ag2WO4) nanocomposite was successfully developed via a green synthesis method utilizing Phyllanthus amarus leaf extract. The synthesized materials were characterized using XRD, HR-TEM, and FE-SEM with EDX, UV-DRS, XPS, BET, and IR techniques. From XRD, crystalline sizes were calculated and found to be 42, 47, and 36 nm for WO3, Ag2WO4, and rGO/Ag2WO4, respectively. TEM analysis also confirmed the presence of rGO nanosheets with appropriately distributed Ag2WO4 nanoparticles; increased particle size is observed in Ag2WO4 and comparatively also in rGO/Ag2WO4 composites with some distribution irregularities. FE-SEM images supported the result to show rGO possesses a wrinkled and folded morphology, WO3 demonstrated a porous and granular morphology, Ag2WO4 exhibited a mixed geometry of spherical and rod geometry morphology, while the rGO/Ag2WO4 nanocomposite structures consist associatively with rGO layers, and Ag2WO4 particles are interspersed through rGO matrix. Band gap energies calculated using Tauc’s plot were 2.57, 2.61, and 2.67 eV for WO3, Ag2WO4, and rGO/Ag2WO4. XPS results confirmed the presence of W4+, Ag+, O2-, and C which is consistent with the formation of rGO/Ag2WO4 nanocomposite. The rGO/Ag2WO4 composite exhibited a significantly increased surface area and porosity compared to the individual components, as determined by BET analysis. FT-IR analysis also showed the presence of characteristic peaks consistent with W–O, Ag–O, and rGO corresponding vibrations. The rGO/Ag2WO4 activities were further evaluated utilizing photocatalytic methods through degradation using methylene blue dye under sunlight with the estimated value indicating 75% photodegradation for rGO/Ag2WO4. Furthermore, it was determined the nanocomposite exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial and fungal pathogens, acknowledging the utilization potential of this designed novel composite for antimicrobial applications.