Chemically Synthesized rGO-Ag NP Nanocomposite: Enhanced Stability and Functionality for Biomedical Applications

This study presents a simple, environmentally friendly, and rapid green chemical method for synthesizing a well-dispersed rGO-Ag NP nanocomposite. This method avoids the use of hazardous reducing agents and complex multistep processes often required in traditional synthesis methods. The successful synthesis of the nanocomposite was confirmed through various characterization techniques, including UV‒visible spectroscopy, SEM, AFM, and XRD analysis. The findings elucidated the effective transformation of graphene oxide (GO) to reduced graphene oxide (rGO), accompanied by the functionalization of rGO sheets with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The nanoparticles were uniformly distributed across the rGO sheets, exhibiting dimensions that varied between 18 and 50 nm. Moreover, a significant interaction between the AgNPs and the rGO sheets was detected, which may contribute to the improved stability and functionality of the resultant nanocomposite. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis also indicated the potential presence of a minor silver oxide (Ag₂O) component within the nanocomposite. Nevertheless, the low intensity of the associated diffraction peaks suggested that AgNPs constituted the predominant component. Additionally, the rGO-Ag NP nanocomposite demonstrated remarkable antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, thereby underscoring its applicability in a variety of biomedical contexts.