Bio-reduction of graphene oxide using pomegranate peels for NO2 sensing and photocatalysis applications

Identifier:  imarina:9266681

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9266681

Authors:  Kacem, Khaoula; Ameur, Sami; Casanova-Chafer, Juan; Nsib, Mohamed Faouzi; Llobet, Eduard

Abstract:
This work presents a straightforward, inexpensive, and eco-friendly approach for the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) using a nontoxic reducing agent from pomegranate peels bio-extract. The graphene oxide was prepared by a modified Hummers’ method from natural graphite and subsequently reduced using pomegranate peels bio-extract. The prepared GO and rGO were characterized by several techniques such as UV–Vis, FTIR, Raman, XRD, and FESEM. The obtained results reveal the successful graphene bio-reduction using pomegranate peels due to the removal of a significant content of oxygen functional groups and the partial restoration of sp2 carbon structures, resulting in rGO. The bio-reduced GO material was also tested for the detection of NO2 gas, showing interesting performance as a candidate material for gas-sensing applications. Besides, the incorporation of the prepared rGO into the ZnO/rGO nanocomposite showed high photocatalytic performance toward the photodegradation of Indigo Carmin under natural solar light.