Abstract
Sunlight-driven C–TiO2/FeTiO3 composites were synthesized with different weight fractions of FeTiO3. The as-prepared samples were characterized by UV–Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. Under sunlight irradiation, the C–TiO2/FeTiO3 photocatalysts degraded methyl orange (MO) efficiently and displayed much higher photocatalytic activity than that of pure FeTiO3 or carbon-doped titanium dioxide (C–TiO2), and the C–TiO2/FeTiO3 photocatalyst with 10 wt% of FeTiO3 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity was mainly ascribed to the formation of a heterojunction between C–TiO2 and FeTiO3, which facilitated the transfer and separation of photogenerated electron–hole pairs. The quenching effects of different scavengers demonstrated that the reactive superoxide radicals (·O2−) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) played a major role in the MO degradation. The possible photocatalytic mechanism is discussed on the basis of the band structures of C–TiO2 and FeTiO3. To further enhance the photocatalytic efficiency, double-heterojunctioned CQD/C–TiO2/FeTiO3 composite was prepared by loading carbon quantum dots onto the C–TiO2/FeTiO3 surface.
Published Version
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