Studies on Photocatalytic and Antioxidant Efficacy of Ag-Embedded ZnO Nanocomposites

Abstract

This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of Ag-embedded ZnO nanocomposites with varying silver (Ag) contents (1, 3, and 5 wt %) to evaluate their photocatalytic and antioxidant activities. The nanocomposites were synthesized using a sol-gel method, followed by thermal decomposition, and characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, Raman, EDS, TEM, FTIR, and UV-vis spectroscopy. The photocatalytic degradation of the rhodamine 6G (R6G) dye was tested under UV light, and its antioxidant capacity was evaluated using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and FIC assays. Among the synthesized samples, the ZnO-5 wt % Ag nanocomposite exhibited the enhanced photocatalytic efficiency, achieving 93.36% degradation of R6G, with a reaction rate constant of 6.54 × 10-3 min-1. It also demonstrated recyclability, retaining over 91% efficiency after five cycles. In the antioxidant assays, the ZnO-5 wt % Ag composite showed enhanced free radical scavenging capacity, confirming its strong antioxidant potential. These Ag-embedded ZnO nanocomposites offer a dual functionality, enhancing both photocatalytic and antioxidant activities. Future research will focus on their scalability and visible-light photocatalytic performance to enhance their applications in environmental remediation and biomedical applications.