Studies on new material: carbon dot-graphene oxide-zinc oxide nanocomplex

In the present work, with an aim of developing new useful materials, carbon dot-graphene oxide-zinc oxide (CGZ) nanocomplexes were synthesized by the wet chemical method. Structure, morphology and chemical composition of prepared GCZ nanoparticles were determined by carrying out X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and energy dispersive X-ray absorption spectral measurements. The strong absorption band observed in the UV region for the prepared samples can be attributed to the band edge absorption. The dielectric parameters, viz. dielectric constant (∈_r), dielectric loss (tanδ) and AC electrical conductivity (σ _AC) were determined at various temperatures in the range of 30 °C to 150 °C at two different frequencies (100 Hz and 1 kHz). DC conductivity (σ_DC) measurement was also carried out at various temperatures in the range of 30 °C to 150 °C. In addition, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of CGZ has been explained and the mechanism elucidating the excellent performance of CGZ has been proposed.