Gum arabic assisted exfoliation and fabrication of Ag–graphene-based hybrids

Gum arabic (GA), a natural polymer, is extensively used in food, drug, confectionery and soft drinks processing. In this paper, we present a green and facile approach for preparing graphene–Ag nanohybrids assisted by GA. In brief, GA functionalized graphene sheets (GA-G) were prepared by directly exfoliating graphite flakes in gum arabic (GA) aqueous solution with sonication. The yield of graphene exfoliation was systemically studied by varying the initial graphite concentration, GA concentration and sonication time. Furthermore, the GA functionalized graphene sheets–Ag nanoparticle hybrids (Ag/GA-G) were fabricated by adding AgNO3 aqueous solution into the GA-G water dispersion. The silver ions were directly reduced and immobilized on the surface of the GA-G nanosheets by GA. The Ag/GA-G hybrid materials can be used as suitable substrates of SERS for the detection of 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) at a detectable level of a concentration of 10−6 M in aqueous environments.