One-step microwave-assisted synthesis of Ag/ZnO/graphene nanocomposites with enhanced photocatalytic activity

• Ag/ZnO/graphene nanocomposites were synthesized by a microwave-assisted method.
• Synthesized catalyst showed enhanced photocatalytic performance.
• Photocatalytic performance of samples with different graphene content was studied.
• Ag/ZnO/graphene nanocomposites exhibited excellent photostability.

Ag/ZnO/graphene (Ag/ZnO/G) nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by a facile low-temperature microwave-assisted solution method. The morphology and phase structure of the prepared samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photocatalytic performance of the obtained products were evaluated by analyzing the degradation of methyl orange (MO) solution under UV irradiation. The Ag/ZnO/graphene nanocomposites showed higher photocatalytic efficiency than ZnO or Ag/ZnO. Photocatalytic activity of Ag/ZnO/graphene nanocomposites with different graphene content was studied. Firstly the photocatalytic efficiency of the Ag/ZnO/graphene nanocomposites increased with the increase of graphene oxide (GO) content from 0 to 1%, then the photocatalytic efficiency decreased while the percent of GO addition reached 2%. The photostability testing of the Ag/ZnO/graphene nanocomposites with 1% GO content showed that the catalyst has excellent photocatalytic activity and photostability for the degradation of MO. It is believed that this facile, rapid microwave-assisted strategy is scalable and can be applied to synthesize other metal/semiconductor oxide/graphene nanocomposites for different applications in different fields.