Journal article 741 views 482 downloads
ZnO-graphene quantum dots heterojunctions for natural sunlight-driven photocatalytic environmental remediation
Suneel Kumar,
Ankita Dhiman,
Pitchaimuthu Sudhagar,
Venkata Krishnan,
Sudhagar Pitchaimuthu 
Applied Surface Science, Volume: 447, Pages: 802 - 815
Swansea University Author:
Sudhagar Pitchaimuthu
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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.04.045
Abstract
In this work, we report the formation of heterojunctions comprising of graphene quantum dots (GQD) decorated ZnO nanorods (NR) and its use as efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation. The heterojunctions has been designed to be active both in the UV and visible light regions and antici...
| Published in: | Applied Surface Science |
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| ISSN: | 01694332 |
| Published: |
2018
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa39339 |
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| Abstract: |
In this work, we report the formation of heterojunctions comprising of graphene quantum dots (GQD) decorated ZnO nanorods (NR) and its use as efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation. The heterojunctions has been designed to be active both in the UV and visible light regions and anticipated utilize the maximum part of the solar light spectrum. In this view, we examined the photocatalytic performance of our heterojunctions towards the degradation of colored pollutant (methylene blue (MB) dye) and a colorless pollutant (carbendazim (CZ) fungicide) under sunlight irradiation. Compared to bare photocatalyst ZnO and GQD, the heterojunction with 2 wt% of GQD (ZGQD2) showed the best photocatalytic activity by effectively degrading (about 95%) of organic pollutants (MB and CZ) from water within a short span of 70 min. The superior photocatalytic activity of these ZnO-GQD heterojunctions could be attributed to efficient charge carrier separation lead suppressed recombination rate at photocatalyst interfaces. In addition to the enhanced light absorption from UV to visible region, the high specific surface area of ZGQD2 heterojunction (353.447 m2 g-1) also imparts strong adsorption capacity for pollutants over catalyst surface, resulting in high photoactivity. Based on the obtained results, band gap alignment at ZnO-GQD heterojunction and active species trapping experiments, a plausible mechanism is proposed for photocatalytic reaction. The excellent photostability and recyclability of the ZnO-GQD heterojunctions fostering as promising photocatalyst candidate for environmental remediation applications. |
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| Keywords: |
ZnO; graphene quantum dots; heterojunctions; charge transfer; photocatalysis; environmental remediation |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Start Page: |
802 |
| End Page: |
815 |