Assessment of antioxidant activity of pure graphene oxide (GO) and composite V₂O₅/GO using DPPH radical and H₂O₂ scavenging assays

In this research, the Co precipitation method was utilized to synthesize a nanocomposite of vanadium oxide (V₂O₅) and graphene oxide (GO). Pure GO was synthesized by the modified hammers method. Using a 1:2 ratio of GO and V₂O₅ and heating in the oven at 70 °C leading to the formation of V₂O₅/GO nanocomposite. By grafting of GO on V₂O₅ surface, a high range of graphene oxidation in V₂O₅/GO allowed for better reduction with V₂O₅ metal-oxide. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra provide evidence of the distinct phase of graphene oxide formation. The antioxidant activity of V₂O₅/GO nanocomposite was conducted in two vitro assays, focusing on neutralization of 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and H₂O₂ radicals. The uniqueness of the nanocomposite was evident from its concentration-dependent antioxidant activities. Interestingly, the V₂O₅/GO samples has showed 60% antioxidant performance in the H₂O₂ assays compared to its constituent.