TY - JOUR
T1 - Synergistic effects of the hybridization between boron-doped carbon quantum dots and n/n-type g-C3N4 homojunction for boosted visible-light photocatalytic activity
AU - Phang, Sue Jiun
AU - Lee, Jiale
AU - Wong, Voon-Loong
AU - Tan, Lling-Lling
AU - Chai, Siang-Piao
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) Malaysia under the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) (Ref no: FRGS/1/2018/TK02/HWUM/03/2).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/6
Y1 - 2022/6
N2 - Dye wastewater has raised a prevalent environmental concern due to its ability to prevent the penetration of sunlight through water, thereby causing a disruption to the aquatic ecosystem. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are particularly sought after for their highly tailorable photoelectrochemical and optical properties. Simultaneously, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has gained widespread attention due to its suitable band gap energy as well as excellent chemical and thermal stabilities. Herein, a novel boron-doped CQD (BCQD)-hybridized g-C3N4 homojunction (CN) nanocomposite was fabricated via a facile hydrothermal route. The optimal photocatalyst sample, 1-BCQD/CN (with a 1:3 mass ratio of boron to CQD) accomplished a Rhodamine B (RhB, 10 mg/L) degradation efficiency of 96.8% within 4 h under an 18 W LED light irradiation. The kinetic rate constant of 1.39 × 10-2 min-1 achieved by the optimum sample was found to be 3.6- and 2.8-folds higher than that of pristine CN and un-doped CQD/CN, respectively. The surface morphology, crystalline structure, chemical composition and optical properties of photocatalyst samples were characterized via TEM, FESEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis DRS and FL spectrometer. Based on the scavenging tests, it was revealed that the photogenerated holes (h+), superoxide anions (∙O2-) and hydroxyl radicals (∙OH) were the primary reactive species responsible for the photodegradation process. Overall, the highly efficient 1-BCQD/CN composite with excellent photocatalytic activity could provide a cost-effective and robust means to address the increasing concerns over global environmental pollution.
AB - Dye wastewater has raised a prevalent environmental concern due to its ability to prevent the penetration of sunlight through water, thereby causing a disruption to the aquatic ecosystem. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are particularly sought after for their highly tailorable photoelectrochemical and optical properties. Simultaneously, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has gained widespread attention due to its suitable band gap energy as well as excellent chemical and thermal stabilities. Herein, a novel boron-doped CQD (BCQD)-hybridized g-C3N4 homojunction (CN) nanocomposite was fabricated via a facile hydrothermal route. The optimal photocatalyst sample, 1-BCQD/CN (with a 1:3 mass ratio of boron to CQD) accomplished a Rhodamine B (RhB, 10 mg/L) degradation efficiency of 96.8% within 4 h under an 18 W LED light irradiation. The kinetic rate constant of 1.39 × 10-2 min-1 achieved by the optimum sample was found to be 3.6- and 2.8-folds higher than that of pristine CN and un-doped CQD/CN, respectively. The surface morphology, crystalline structure, chemical composition and optical properties of photocatalyst samples were characterized via TEM, FESEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis DRS and FL spectrometer. Based on the scavenging tests, it was revealed that the photogenerated holes (h+), superoxide anions (∙O2-) and hydroxyl radicals (∙OH) were the primary reactive species responsible for the photodegradation process. Overall, the highly efficient 1-BCQD/CN composite with excellent photocatalytic activity could provide a cost-effective and robust means to address the increasing concerns over global environmental pollution.
KW - (s): Photocatalysis
KW - Carbon quantum dots
KW - Graphitic carbon nitride
KW - Wastewater treatment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123937621&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11356-021-18253-0
DO - 10.1007/s11356-021-18253-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 35088270
SN - 0944-1344
VL - 29
SP - 41272
EP - 41292
JO - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
JF - Environmental Science and Pollution Research
IS - 27
ER -