Eco-friendly Synthesis of CRGO and CRGO/SnO ₂ Nanocomposite for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Green Dye

Abstract

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was synthesized from a simple, cost-effective, and eco-friendly method by using Capsicum annuum (CA) as reducing agent. The rGO was mixed with SnO ₂ to synthesize a nanocomposite. The synthesized materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and UV–visible spectroscopy techniques. The SnO ₂- C. annuum reduced graphene oxide (CRGO) nanocomposite exhibited a photodegradation efficiency of 97.4% when employed to remove methylene green (MG) dye. The synthesized nanocomposite showed improved photodegradation ability due to its high charge transfer and separation and owing to the presence of the large surface area of the CRGO network system. Degraded water was used in the plant and animal survival study, in which the dye solution treated with CRGO nanocomposite exhibited better growth compared to that of untreated MG solution. Likewise, in the ecotoxicity study, Artemia salina and zebra fish ( Danio rerio ) survival was found to be enhanced with CRGO nanocomposite-treated dye solution. This finding supports the effectiveness of CRGO/SnO ₂ nanocomposite for the treatment of MG dye-contaminated effluent samples.