Synthesis of Sulfur based Graphene nanoplatelets composites for efficient photodegradation of dyes

Abstract Water contamination by synthetic dyes poses a major environmental challenge, demanding efficient and sustainable remediation strategies such as photocatalysis. In this study, sulfur–graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) composites were synthesized in varying weight ratios and evaluated for their photocatalytic efficiency in degrading methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes under visible light. While such composites are commonly explored for energy storage, their potential in photocatalysis remains underutilized. The structural and optical features of the synthesized materials were systematically examined, revealing that increased GNP content led to enhanced crystallinity and improved charge separation. Among the prepared samples, the composite with the highest GNP concentration (SG-18) demonstrated 53% and 21.74% efficacious efficacy in first run for MB and MO dyes respectively under 100 min (10 mg catalyst with 250 ml and 150 ml of MB and MO dye solutions respectively). These findings highlight the potential of sulfur–GNP nanocomposites as low-cost, metal-free photocatalysts for environmental cleanup applications.