Abstract
The fabrication of low-cost and environmentally friendly photocatalysts with superior photodegradation efficiency remains one of the most pressing challenges in present research. Herein, we elaborately designed and synthesized a promising N-doped carbon quantum dots/CeO2 hollow microsphere (NCQDs/h-CeO2) photocatalyst with superior photoresponse property and photoactivity in visible light. The removal efficiencies of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light illumination for NCQDs/h-CeO2 exhibits a 30.3% enhancement compared with pure h-CeO2. The results of EIS and PL imply that the excellent performance may be attributed to the strong synergistic effect between NCQDs and h-CeO2, thus effectively promoting charge transfer and restraining the recombination of photogenerated holes and electrons. Accordingly, a synergistic photocatalysis mechanism was proposed to explain the photocatalytic reaction process. Besides, the NCQDs/h-CeO2 exhibits better cycle stability than common CQDs/h-CeO2 after a four-cycle photocatalytic test. Therefore, the NCQDs/h-CeO2 may represent a promising strategy for the current water pollution issues.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aragaw BA, Pan CJ, Su WN, Chen HM, Rick J, Hwang BJ (2015) Facile one-pot controlled synthesis of Sn and C co-doped single crystal TiO2 nanowire arrays for highly efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting. Appl Catal B Environ 163:478–486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2017.09.012
Atul K, Lu SY, Anupam M (2005) Semiconductor nanocrystal quantum dots on single crystal semiconductor substrates: high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Nano Lett 5:969–973. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl0502625
Bera P, Gayen A, Hegde MS, Lalla NP, Spadaro L, Frusteri F, Arena F (2003) Promoting effect of CeO2 in combustion synthesized Pt/CeO2 catalyst for CO oxidation. J Phys Chem B 107:6122–6130. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp022132fCCC
Channei D, Inceesungvorn B, Wetchakun N, Ukritnukun S, Nattestad A, Chen J, Phanichphant S (2014) Photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange by CeO2 and Fe-doped CeO2 films under visible light irradiation. Sci Rep 4:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep05757
Chen QY, Wang YF, Wanf YW, Zhang XC, Duan DH, Fang CM (2017) Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots/Ag3PO4 complex photocatalysts with enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic activity and stability. J Colloid Interf Sci 491:238–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2016.12.013
Di J, **a JX, Yin SY, Xu H, Xu YG, Li HM (2014) Preparation of sphere-like g-C3N4/BiOI photocatalysts via a reactable ionic liquid for visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of pollutants. J Mater Chem A 2:5340–5351. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3TA14617K
Di J, **a JX, Ge YP, Li HP, Ji HX, Xu H, Zhao Q, Li HM, Li MN (2015a) Novel visible-light-driven CQDs/Bi2WO6 hybrid materials with enhanced photocatalytic activity toward organic pollutants degradation and mechanism insight. Appl Catal B Environ 168–169:51–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2014.11.057
Di J, **a JX, Ji M, Wang B, Yin S, Zhao Q, Chen Z, Li H (2015b) Carbon quantum dots modified BiOCl ultrathin nanosheets with enhanced molecular oxygen activation ability for broad spectrum photocatalytic properties and mechanism insight. ACS Appl Mater 7:20111–20123. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5b05268
Ingo GM, Paparazzo E, Bagnarelli O, Zacchetti N (1990) XPS studies on cerium, zirconium and yttrium valence states in plasma-sprayed coatings. Surf Interf Anal 16:515–519. https://doi.org/10.1002/sia.7401601107
Jiang GH, Jiang TT, Zhou HJ, Yao JM, Kong XD (2015) Preparation of N-doped carbon quantum dots for highly sensitive detection of dopamine by an electrochemical method. RSC Adv 5:9064–9068. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ra16773b
Jiang X, Zhang J, Yu L, Chen R, Xu X (2016) Synthesis of mono-dispersed ceria hollow microspheres by a hydrothermal method. Micro Nano Lett 11:137–141. https://doi.org/10.1049/mnl.2015.0455
Jiao Y, Wang FF, Ma XM, Tang QH, Wang K, Guo YM, Yang L (2013) Facile one-step synthesis of porous ceria hollow nanospheres for low temperature CO oxidation. Micropor mesopor Mat 176:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2013.03.031
Kumar SG, Rao KSRK (2014) Polymorphic phase transition among the titania crystal structures in solution based approach: from precursor chemistry to nucleation process. Nanoscale 6:11574–11632. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4NR01657B
Kumar SG, Rao KSRK (2017) Comparison of modification strategies towards enhanced charge carrier separation and photocatalytic degradation activity of metal oxide semiconductors (TiO2, WO3 and ZnO). Appl Surf Sci 391:124–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2016.07.081
Li CR, Cui MY, Sun QT, Dong WJ, Zheng YY, Tsukamoto Chen BY, Tang WH (2010a) Nanostructures and optical properties of hydrothermal synthesized CeOHCO3 and calcined CeO2 with PVP assistance. J Alloys Compd 504:498–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2010.05.151
Li HT, He XD, Kang ZH, Huang H, Liu Y, Liu JL, Lian SY, Tsang CHA, Yang XB, Lee ST (2010b) Water-soluble fluorescent carbon quantum dots and photocatalyst design. Angew Chem Int Ed 49:4430–4434. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.200906154
Li H, Wang G, Zhang F, Cai Y, Wang Y, Djerdj I (2012a) Surfactant-assisted synthesis of CeO2 nanoparticles and their application in wastewater treatment. RSC Adv 2:12413–12423. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2ra21590j
Li HT, Kang ZH, Liu Y, Lee ST (2012b) Carbon nanodots: synthesis, properties and applications. J Mater Chem 22:24230–24253. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2JM34690G
Li H, Liu R, Liu Y, Huang H, Yu H, Ming H, Lian S, Lee ST, Kang Z (2012c) Carbon quantum dots/Cu2O composites with protruding nanostructures and their highly efficient (near) infrared photocatalytic behavior. J Mater Chem 22:17470–17475. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2jm32827e
Li HJ, Tu WG, Zhou Y, Zou ZH (2016) Z-scheme photocatalytic systems for promoting photocatalytic performance: recent progress and future challenges. Adv Sci 3:1500389. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201500389
Lim SY, Shen W, Gao ZQ (2015) Carbon quantum dots and their applications. Chem Soc Rev 44:362–381. https://doi.org/10.1039/C4CS00269E
Liu J, Liu X, Luo H, Gao Y (2014) One-step preparation of nitrogen-doped and surface-passivated carbon quantum dots with high quantum yield and excellent optical properties. RSC Adv 4:7648–7654. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3RA47577H
Ming H, Ma Z, Liu Y, Pan KM, Yu H, Wang F, Kang ZH (2012) Large scale electrochemical synthesis of high quality carbon nanodots and their photocatalytic property. Dalton Trans 41:9526–9531. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2DT30985H
Montini T, Melchele M, Monai M, Fornasiero P (2015) Fundamentals and catalytic applications of CeO2-based materials. Chem Rev 116:5987–6041. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00603
Natércia CTM, Joana Â, Ana VG, Tito T, Luisa A, Adelio M (2016) N-doped carbon quantum dots/TiO2 composite with improved photocatalytic activity. Appl Catal B Environ 193:67–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2016.04.016
Shi H, Yu K, Sun F, Sun F, Zhu Z (2012) Controllable synthesis of novel Cu2O micro/nano-crystals and their photoluminescence, photocatalytic and field emission properties. Crystengcom 14:278–285. https://doi.org/10.1039/C1CE05868A
Shi QQ, Li HY, Xu Y, Wang Y, Yin XB, He XW, Zhang YK (2014) High-yield and high-solubility nitrogen-doped carbon dots: formation, fluorescence mechanism and imaging application. RSC Adv 4:1563–1566. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3RA45762A
Sun CW, Li H, Chen LQ (2012) Nanostructured ceria-based materials: synthesis, properties, and applications. Energy Environ Sci 5:8475–8505. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2EE22310D
Tang D, Zhang H, Huang H, Lui R, Han Y, Liu Y, Tong C, Kang Z (2013) Carbon quantum dots enhance the photocatalytic performance of BiVO4 with different exposed facets. Dalton Trans 42:6285–6289. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3DT50567G
Tian J, Leng YH, **a Y, Sang YH, Hao P, Zhan J, Li MC, Liu H (2015) Carbon quantum dots/hydrogenated TiO2 nanobelt heterostructures and their broad spectrum photocatalytic properties under UV, visible, and near-infrared irradiation. Nano Energy 11:419–427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2014.10.025
Tong Z, Yang D, **ao TX, Tian Y, Jiang Z (2015) Biomimetic fabrication of g-C3N4/TiO2 nanosheets with enhanced photocatalytic activity toward organic pollutant degradation. Chem Eng J 260:117–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2014.08.072
Wang Y, Wang F, Chen Y, Zhang D, Li B, Kang S, Li X, Cui L (2014) Enhanced photocatalytic performance of ordered mesoporous Fe-doped CeO2 catalysts for the reduction of CO2 with H2O under simulated solar irradiation. Appl Catal B Environ 147:602–609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcatb.2013.09.036
Wu CL (2015) Solvothermal synthesis of N-doped CeO2 microspheres with visible light-driven photocatalytic activity. Mater Lett 139:382-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2014.10.127
**ang QJ, Yu JG, Jaroniec M (2011) Enhanced photocatalytic H2-production activity of graphene-modified titania nanosheets. Nanoscale 3:3670–3678. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1nr10610d
Yang X, Cui H, Li Y, Qin J, Zhang R, Tang H (2013) Fabrication of Ag3PO4-graphene composites with highly efficient and stable visible light photocatalytic performance. ACS Catal 3:363–369. https://doi.org/10.1021/cs3008126
You DT, Jiang F, Pan B, Zhou YZ, Su WY (2016) CdS nanoparticles/CeO2 nanorods composite with high-efficiency visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity. Appl Surf Sci 363:154–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2015.12.021
Yu HJ, Zhao YF, Zhou C, Shang L, Peng Y, Cao YH, Wu LZ, Tung CH, Zhang TR (2014) Carbon quantum dots/TiO2 composites for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. J Mater Chem A 2:3344–3351. https://doi.org/10.1039/C3TA14108J
Zhang Y, Mu J (2007) One-pot synthesis, photoluminescence, and photocatalysis of Ag/ZnO composites. J Colloid Interface Sci 309:478-484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2007.01.011
Zhang D, **e Q, Wang M, Zhang X, Li S, Han G, Ying A, Chen A, Gong J, Tong Z (2010a) O/W/O double emulsion-assisted synthesis and catalytic properties of CeO2 hollow microspheres. Solid State Sci 12:1529–1533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2010.05.011
Zhang H, Lv X, Li Y, Wang Y, Li J, Li M (2010b) P25-graphene composite as a high performance photocatalyst. ACS Nano 4:380–386. https://doi.org/10.1021/nn901221k
Zhang DE, **e Q, Wang MY, Zhang XB, Li SZ, Han GQ, Li AY, Chen AM, Gong JY, Tong ZW (2010c) O/W/O double emulsion-assisted synthesis and catalytic properties of CeO2 hollow microspheres. Solid State Sci 12:1529–1533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solidstatesciences.2010.05.011
Zhang YQ, Ma DK, Zhang YG, Chen W, Huang SM (2013) N-doped carbon quantum dots for TiO2-based photocatalysts and dye-sensitized solar cells. Nano Energy 2:545–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2013.07.010
Zhang J, Zhang XY, Dong SS, Zhou X, Dong SS (2016) N-doped carbon quantum dots/TiO2 hybrid composites with enhanced visible light driven photocatalytic activity toward dye wastewater degradation and mechanism insight. J Photo Chem 325:104–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2016.04.012
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the science research program of the education department of Hubei Province (D20171505), the Key Technology R&D Program of Hubei Province (2015BCA253), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2015M572210, 2016M602376), Open Foundation of The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy (2014QN17),Hubei Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (2017CFB291) and Open Foundation of Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Process (Wuhan Institute of Technology), Ministry of Education (GCP201503, NRGCT201503). The authors thank the Associate Editor (G. Kumar) for the instructive advice and linguistic assistance during the preparation of this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, F., He, Y., Li, W. et al. N-Doped carbon dots decorated ceria hollow spheres for enhanced activity of RhB degradation by visible light. Chem. Pap. 72, 1417–1426 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-018-0395-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11696-018-0395-9