Plasma Jet and Laser-Assisted Synthesis of Ag/ZnO/rGO Ternary Nanocomposite for Enhanced Antibacterial and Photocatalytic Performance

This work reports a green hybrid synthesis route combining atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) and pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) for preparing a ternary Ag/ZnO/rGO nanocomposite with multifunctional photocatalytic and antibacterial activity. XRD confirmed the formation of phase-pure wurtzite ZnO and FCC Ag along with rGO, with crystallite sizes of 29 nm (ZnO) and 18 nm (Ag), while ZnO crystallites decreased to 22 nm after hybridization, indicating enhanced interfacial coupling. FESEM/EDX showed successful integration of Ag and ZnO nanoparticles onto rGO sheets with improved dispersion and reduced agglomeration. Optical measurements revealed broadened light absorption and suppressed charge recombination, supported by PL quenching for the ternary system. The composite exhibited superior colloidal stability with a zeta potential of -51.97 mV. Photocatalytic tests under solar irradiation demonstrated accelerated degradation of RhB and MB, where the ternary catalyst achieved the highest apparent rate constants (81.7×10 -3 s -1 for RhB and 14.4×10 -3 s -1 for MB) and the shortest half-lives (92.9 s and 77 s, respectively). Antibacterial assays confirmed enhanced inhibition zones against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, reaching 21 mm and 20 mm, respectively. The improvement is attributed to synergistic charge separation (ZnO→rGO/Ag), plasmon-assisted excitation, and intensified ROS generation.