Green Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide-Silver Nanoparticles Using Environmentally Friendly L-arginine for H2O2 Detection

Abstract

The paper reports on the preparation of reduced graphene oxide/silver nanoparticles (rGO/AgNPs) nanocomposite through the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and silver nitrate (AgNO3) using environmentally friendly L-arginine (Arg). The chemical composition of the resulting nanocomposite has been analyzed using transmission infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results indicated that Arg was incorporated in the rGO matrix. The morphology of the rGO/Arg/AgNPs composite has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ag NPs with an average diameter of 20 nm are homogeneously distributed on crumpled graphene nanosheets. The electrocatalytic activity of the rGO/Arg/AgNPs hybrid nanomaterial has been investigated for the nonenzymatic detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in PBS solution. The sensor displayed a detection limit of ≈50 μM over a wide linear range from 0.2 to 2.5 mM with a sensitivity of 1.34 mA mM−1 cm−2. In addition, the sensor also showed good selectivity for H2O2 detection and long-term stability.