Synthesis and characterization of silver and gold nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide

In this work, a facile method is proposed to synthesis graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), silver and gold nanoparticles with 1:3 volume ratio decorated onto reduced graphene oxide (Ag1Au3/rGO). A chemical reduction route using sodium citrate as reducing agents have been used to prepared the as-synthesized samples. The produced samples have been characterized using Raman spectroscopy, UV-Visible, X-Ray Diffraction spectroscopy and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy. The removal of oxygen containing groups from the graphene oxide to reduced graphene oxide was confirmed by intensity ratio (ID/IG) between the D and G band appeared at the peak. The change in optical properties of the product authenticated by the shift in the absorption peak and formation of silver and gold nanoparticles was determined by XRD spectroscopy. The morphological results illustrate that silver and gold nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide formed stable dispersions and well distributed on the reduced graphene oxide surface with 10 nm – 40 nm of particle size.