Biosynthesized Ag Nanoparticles: a Promising Pathway for Bandgap Tailoring

Abstract

The unrivaled features and prospective applications promote graphene as a potent contender for next-generation nanodevices. But the realization of a tunable bandgap structure for zero-bandgap graphene at all times persists as a dilemma. In this work, a green approach is adopted for the bandgap modulation of graphene oxide (GO). The biosynthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were introduced into the graphene matrix, and hence the bandgap was tailored for the formation of a semiconductor composite. The bare GO that has got a bandgap of 3.41 eV was tuned to 2.33 eV on the addition of AgNPs. The preparation of AgNPs using fruit extract of cyanococcus make the process greener, safer, and cost-effective. This paper intends to open a new venture towards the environment safe synthesis of semiconductor nanocomposite necessitate for optoelectronic and photovoltaic technologies.