Reduced Graphene Oxide/Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite: From Synthesis to its Application for Wastewater Purification and Antibacterial Activity

Abstract

Currently, wastewater treatment is one of the most important issues related to the toxic effects of the pathogens and hazardous water pollution impact on human beings, agriculture and animals. In this study, we synthesized reduced graphene oxide/zinc oxide (rGO/ZnO) nanocomposite using a chemical method. The synthesized rGO/ZnO nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, FT-IR and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The rGO/ZnO nanocomposite was analyzed for reduction of methylene blue (MB) and 4-nitrophenole (4-NP). The antibacterial activity of GO and rGO/ZnO was also analyzed. The degradation rate of MB under UV lamp by rGO/ZnO nanocomposite was found to be 80% after 5 h. The reduction of 4-NP into 4-aminophenol (4-AP) was completed in 10 min in the absence of reducing agent, whereas in the presence of reducing agent (NaBH4), the reduction time was reduced to 3 min. Furthermore, rGO/ZnO nanocomposite was also analyzed for anti-bacterial activity on Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli bacterial strains using agar well disk diffusion method. The results of anti-bacterial activity showed that rGO/ZnO nanocomposite exhibits better anti-bacterial activity than GO. This indicated the increased biocompatibility of the rGO/ZnO nanocomposite than GO. It was found that rGO/ZnO nanocomposites has great potential for reduction of 4-NP to 4-AP, shows superior antibacterial activity and can be used for biomedical application.