Novel honey mediated green synthesis of Graphene@Ag Nanocomposite and its two-dimensional application in photovoltaic and anti-microbial activity

The green and facile method were successfully employed for the fabrication of Graphene/Ag nanocomposite (Gr@AgNCs) with graphite oxide (GO) as graphene precursor and AgNO3 as precursor for Ag nanoparticles. Honey was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent which is known to be environment-friendly in nature. The characterization of synthesized Gr@AgNCs was done using x-ray diffraction (XRD),scanning electron microscopy (SEM),Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectra (RS),Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and UV analysis. The results showed that Honey effectively reduced GO to graphene and silver ions to silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) which makes present synthesis more suitable for synthesizing other metals like gold (Au) on graphene sheets. This active synthesis perhaps can have wide applications in medical, technological and industrial field. In addition to this, enhanced antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was retained in the Gr@AgNCs along with the photovoltaic activity signifying their potential use as a graphene-based nanomaterial.