Gold decorated reduced graphene oxide (Au/rGO@PDGME) nanoflakes with effective diverse catalytic activity: A hydrothermal synthesis

• First reports on hydrothermal synthesis of Au/rGO@PDGME nanoflakes using a Poly- d -galacturonic acid methyl ester (PDGME) pectin from apple. • Structural properties of the synthesized Au/rGO@PDGME nanoflakes were determined by FE-SEM, and HR-TEM. • Hydrothermal synthesis of Au/rGO@PDGME nanoflakes demonstrated notable photo-catalytic action in carcinogenic organic dyes. • The effect of adding Au/rGO@PDGME nanoflakes on the catalytic activity of the formylation reaction ( N -formylation) was investigated. In the context of contemporary nanoscience and technology, nanotechnology holds enormous promise. The creation of environmentally responsible nanoparticles (NPs) necessitates the careful selection of an environmentally acceptable solvent in addition to the use of environmentally friendly reducing and stabilizing agents. In the domains of biological disease diagnosis and separation sciences, the application of gold decorated reduced graphene oxide (Au/rGO) nanoflakes has been extensively studied. This study's goal is to create Au/rGO in an environmentally responsible way by using a Poly- d -galacturonic acid methyl ester (PDGME) pectin from apple. The morphological features, stability, and crystalline structure of the generated nanoparticles were examined using FE-SEM with EDAX, PXRD, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, and HR-TEM. The produced particles demonstrate strong catalytic activity in the formylation reaction ( N -formylation) as well as the ability to degrade dyes by photocatalysis. The disclosed results, which are fundamental in nature, should result in major advancements in the easy and practical manufacturing of Au/rGO@PDGME nanoflakes with adjustable features, with a wide range of applications in mind.