The use of industrial molasses waste in the performant synthesis of fewlayer graphene (and its Au/Ag nanoparticles nanocomposites): Photocatalytic and supercapacitance applications

TL;DR

This paper presents a sustainable, scalable method for synthesizing few-layer graphene and its Au/Ag nanocomposites using industrial molasses waste, demonstrating their effectiveness in photocatalysis and supercapacitor applications.

Contribution

It introduces a green synthesis approach utilizing industrial waste for producing functional nanomaterials with enhanced photocatalytic and supercapacitive properties.

Findings

Efficient degradation of organic contaminants using NPs/FLG composites.

High gravimetric capacitance of Au/FLG and Ag/FLG electrodes.

Successful synthesis of layered materials using waste-derived methods.

Abstract

In view of clean environment, the industry needs to address multiple demands at different levels of production and processes via the sustainable approach including recycling or smart use of produced waste. On the other hand, a development and success of green energy requires the crucial materials synthesized via efficient, sustainable methodology. Herein, we present the green, simple, easily scalable, fast, and highly efficient synthesis of few-layer graphene (FLG) and its composites with Au and Ag nanoparticles using a waste. The FLG synthesis based on the exfoliation of graphite occurs in water in the presence of industrial co-product, molasses, which next shows also performant reductive properties during Ag and Au NPs formation. The decreased size of NPs deposited on FLG indicates the synergetic effect of molasses and FLG, exhibiting the add role of FLG/molasses as metal stabilizer species. The NPs/FLG composites 2 are efficient photocatalysts in degradation of organic contaminant, bisphenol (BisA), in the presence of peroxy-monosulfate (PMS) activator. The Au/FLG (PVDF) and Ag/FLG (PVDF) based electrodes reveal as well relatively high gravimetric capacitance, 205 Fg-1 and 729 Fg-1. The presented approach is much worthy to be further applied in the synthesis of other layered materials as well as other non-noble supported metallic systems.