Abstract
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, 10mg/L) degradation efficiency of 96.8% within 4h under an 18W LED light irradiation. The kinetic rate constant of 1.39 × 10-2min-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.
Highlights
In the recent years, the dramatic growth in global population calls for immediate measures to protect the environment and natural resources
We report the smart engineering of zero-dimensional (0D) B-doped Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) (BCQD) on 2D gC3N4/g-C3N4 homojunction (CN) to form a highly robust hybrid boron-doped CQD (BCQD)/CN
This indicated that the introduction of CQDs and BCQDs had no substantial effects on the surface morphology of g-C3N4, which was consistent with previously reported studies (Liu et al, 2020; Seng et al, 2020)
Summary
The dramatic growth in global population calls for immediate measures to protect the environment and natural resources. While the rapid industrialization has promoted the blooming of various sectors including food and beverage, paper and textile, irrigation and drainage, medical and pharmaceutical, etc., these industries are accountable for several major environmental issues. In this regard, the discharge of effluents by these production and manufacturing plants is detrimental to Mother Nature, resulting in the pollution of water resources and diminished water quality. The level of dissolved contaminants in the vast majority of water bodies is above the acceptable standard for human consumption, leading to the scarcity of clean water in many communities around the world. An effective, sustainable and environmentally-benign method to treat polluted water is of utmost importance
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