A facile route for the preparation of silver nanoparticles-graphene oxide nanocomposites and their interactions with pyronin Y dye molecules

We report a facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles-graphene oxide (AgNPs-GO) nanocomposites and their interactions with Pyronin Y (PyY) molecules studied by UV-Vis absorption, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy techniques in aqueous solution. With this aim, firstly, monodisperse AgNPs with two different sizes (4 and 6 nm) were synthesized by using a surfactant-assisted organic solution phase protocol comprising the consecutive thermal decomposition and reduction of silver (I) acetate. Secondly, AgNPs were anchored into GO nanoflakes via using liquid self-assembly method to prepare AgNPs-GO nanocomposites. The morphology and structure of both colloidal AgNPs and the AgNPs-GO nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and absorption spectroscopy. Finally, AgNPs-GO nanocomposites were interacted with PyY molecules in aqueous solution and the photophysical properties of PyY were studied by UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence (steady-state and time-resolved) spectroscopy techniques. The spectroscopic results revealed that the photophysical properties of the dye were dramatically changed after its interaction with AgNPs-GO nanocomposites in aqueous solution.