Methylene blue degradation under visible light of metallic nanoparticles scattered into graphene oxide using laser ablation technique in aqueous solutions

Abstract

Hybrid compositions of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) based graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were fabricated using pulsed laser ablation technique as an eco-friendly system without using chemicals. The as-synthesized three compositions of GO, AgNPs@GO and CuONPs@GO were investigated structurally and their crystallite size upon Williamson–Hall method were calculated. The resultant data depicted that the surface morphology of these compositions were formed in crumble grains with a porous surface and high density of nano-cracks. The potency of these compositions to degrade methylene blue in aqueous solutions under visible light was investigated. The degradation efficiency achieved was found to be 44.9 %, 89.9 %, 91.7 % and 93.11% for GO (dark), GO (light), AgNPs@GO and CuONPs@GO respectively, after 40 min of continuous exposure. Furthermore, the recyclability of these compositions was examined and the obtained results confirmed that these materials can have almost the same efficiency even after the 5th cycle. Therefore, it could be stated that metallic nanoparticles based on graphene oxide display appropriate configuration to be used for water purification.