Chinese Journal of Catalysis

Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2017, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (12): 1999-2008.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(17)62926-7

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Boosting the photocatalytic performance of Ag2CO3 crystals in phenol degradation via coupling with trace N-CQDs

Jian Tiana, Renyue Liua, Zhen Liua,c, Changlin Yua,b, Minchao Liub   

  1. a School of Metallurgy and Chemical Engineering, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, China;
    b School of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, China;
    c State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350002, Fujian, China
  • Received:2017-09-04 Revised:2017-10-09 Online:2017-12-18 Published:2017-12-29
  • Supported by:

    This was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21567008, 21607064, 21707055), Program of Qingjiang Excellent Young Talents, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Program of 5511 Talents in Scientific and Technological Innovation of Jiangxi Province (20165BCB18014), Academic and Technical Leaders of the Main Disciplines in Jiangxi Province (20172BCB22018), and Jiangxi Province Natural Science Foundation (20161BAB203090).

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Abstract:

A series of N-CQDs/Ag2CO3 composite crystals (where N-CQDs=Nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots) were prepared by adding different volumes of a solution of N-CQDs during Ag2CO3 crystal growth. Under irradiation from a 350-W Xe lamp light (with optical filter, λ ≥ 420 nm), the performance of N-CQDs/Ag2CO3 in photocatalytic degradation of phenol was evaluated. The as-prepared samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, element mapping, UV-vis DRS, FT-IR, XPS, transient photocurrent response and EIS testing. The results showed that after coupling with trace amounts of N-CQDs, both the photocatalytic activity and stability of Ag2CO3 were greatly boosted. The addition of N-CQDs solution influenced the crystallization of Ag2CO3, resulting in a distinct decrease in Ag2CO3 crystal size and an obvious increase in surface area. Moreover, the charge transfer resistance was greatly reduced, and the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes was strongly promoted. The presence of NCQDs on the surface of the catalysts facilitates the transfer of photogenerated electrons, slowing the photocorrosion rate of Ag2CO3, and then resulting in higher stability than bare Ag2CO3 in degradation. The synergistic effect of the improvement of morphology and charge transfer rate thus accounted for the superior photocatalytic performance of N-CQDs/Ag2CO3.

Key words: Ag2CO3, Nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots, Photocatalysis, Stability and activity, Phenol