Effect of sulphidation process on the structure, morphology and optical properties of GO/AgNWs composites

In this study, composite materials composed of graphene oxide (GO) synthesized by a modified Hummers' method and silver nanowires (AgNWs) synthesized by a modified polyol method were prepared. The prepared composites were subjected to sulfidation under the influence of H₂S gas. Structural changes in the samples were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The binding nature of the composite was characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy. Optical properties and band gap values were investigated using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The morphology of the composites was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A simple method using H₂S gas was applied for the sulphidation process of the samples. The sulfidation process was successful under the influence of H₂S gas, resulting in an increased distance between the GO layers and a decrease in the band gap value for the composite post-sulfidation. In addition, AgNWs were observed to decompose into Ag₂S nanoparticles under the influence of H₂S gas. It was determined that the value of the band gap of the sample changes because of sulphidation.