Unraveling the photocatalytic efficiency of quinary alloyed QDs for H2O2 production and antibiotic degradation with detail kinetic and influencing factor study

Abstract

The optoelectronic properties of the quantum dots (QDs) have a significant effect on the photocatalytic efficiency. Presently, I−III−VI group QDs is becoming the conformist light harvesting resources in photocatalytic reactions. Herein, we have designed Cu-In-S (CIS) ternary QDs, ZnCuInS (ZCIS) quaternary, and quinary Zn-Cu-In-S-Se (ZCISSe) alloyed QDs by a cation-anion co-alloying approach. The optoelectronic properties of the prepared QDs, which includes bandgap energy, band-edge potentials, and charge carrier separation abilities can be handily tailored. Experimental outcomes revealed that, cation/anion co-doped quinary ZCISSe alloyed QDs can conquer a superlative equilibrium among light absorption ability, exciton separation-migration efficiencies in photocatalytic reactions in comparison to single cation doped ZCIS QDs. Thus, ZCISSe quinary QDs exhibits enhanced photocatalytic H2O2 production (2565.5 μmol. h−1. g−1) which is about 2 times higher than ZCIS and 8 times greater than CIS QDs with SCC of 0.36%. As well as the quinary QD shows a GMF degradation rate of 98.8% (k1–258×10−4 min−1) in 2 h of visible light illumination. Besides, this work is conferring a depth study by varying pH, scavengers, proton donors, and different environments of micropollutant degradation and O2 reduction, which promotes further expansion of effective multinary alloyed QDs, based photocatalytic materials.