Synchronizing charge-carrier capacity and interfacial morphology of green rGO modified ZnO and TiO2 heterojunctions and study of their photocatalytic behaviour towards UV and visible light active drug and dye

Abstract

Reducing graphene oxide using natural reagents and environmentally friendly processes has received a lot of scientific attention. Although there are many uses for the amazing substance graphene, producing high-quality, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective graphene is difficult. Reduced graphene oxide can be made by reducing graphene oxide. The most essential way for creating reduced graphene oxide is chemical reduction, but using these chemicals can have a negative impact on the environment and human health. Therefore, to achieve the goal, researchers from all over the world have created a straightforward process for green reduction of graphene oxide. In comparison to more expensive alternatives, reduced graphene oxide is a more affordable and ecologically friendly method of improving photocatalytic activity. The investigation of various plant-based dyes as reducing agents and the use of reduced graphene oxide synthesized utilizing extracts from a number of different plant parts will be the main topics of this paper. By nano composing with semiconductors zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, the photocatalytic activity of synthesized green reduced, reduced graphene oxide was evaluated. The effectiveness of reduced graphene oxide/zinc oxide and reduced graphene oxide/titanium dioxide in photodegrading drugs and dyes in aqueous matrices was investigated in this study. Dyes and drugs were easily photodegraded by the two photocatalysts titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. In the case of the dye (Rhodamine B), ZnO and TiO2 both showed similar efficiency in degradation. In the case of the drug amoxicillin, TiO2 showed more efficiency than ZnO in degrading the drug. The UV–visible spectrum confirmed these degradations in both cases.