Environmentally friendly fabrication of Ag nanoparticles decorated on g-CN for enhancing the photodegradation of RhB.

This work presents an eco-friendly method for the preparation of a silver nanoparticle (AgNP) decorated g-CN nanocomposite using purple leaf extract as a green reduction agent. The photocatalytic performance of the resulting nanocomposite was studied through the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) dye pollution in an aqueous solution. X-ray diffraction analysis of powder samples revealed the coexistence of face-centered cubic AgNP crystalline and g-CN structures, with a slight shift in the dominant diffraction peak (002) of g-CN, indicating successful incorporation of AgNPs. Optical analysis showed a reduction in the bandgap of the nanocomposite compared with that of the pure g-CN sample. The photocatalytic ability of the nanocomposites was tested through the degradation of RhB dye, which was significantly enhanced by the presence of AgNPs, achieving a maximum degradation efficiency of approximately 95.3% after only 75 minutes of irradiation using the Ag@g-CN nanocomposite with 7 wt% AgNPs as a photocatalyst. This enhancement is attributed to the efficient charge carrier separation and suppressed recombination rate at the photocatalyst interfaces.