Solar-activated and hydrothermally synthesized effective rGO/AgS composites for the destruction of naphthol green B dye and antibacterial applications.

Graphene-based nanocomposites are developing as a new class of materials with several uses. The varied weight percentages of rGO on AgS catalysts were synthesized using a simple hydrothermal process and employed for the decomposition of anionic dye naphthol green B (NGB) under solar light. The reduced graphene oxide-based silver sulfide (rGO/AgS) nanoparticles were then examined using XRD, SEM, EDS, HR-TEM, XPS, UV-DRS, and PL analysis. Using solar light, the photocatalytic activity of the produced catalyst was examined for the degradation of naphthol green B (NGB) in an aqueous solution. At pH 9, rGO/AgS is discovered to be more effective than the other catalysts for the NGB dye mineralization. Analyses have been conducted on the influence of operational parameters on the photo-mineralization of NGB, including the initial pH, initial dye concentration, and catalyst dosage. The dye concentration increased; the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation tended to decrease. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) studies have verified the NGB dye mineralization. Active species trapping revealed that holes, hydroxyl radicals, and superoxide radicals all played major roles in the photocatalytic deterioration of NGB processes. Additionally, a potential mechanism of NGB dye degradation by rGO/AgS catalyst is presented. The synthesized compound was further evaluated for antibacterial activity, and the results indicated that rGO/AgS were potentially effective antibacterial agents.