Combining carbon dots and Ag6Si2O7 nanoparticles with TiO2: Visible-light-driven photocatalysts with efficient performance for removal of pollutants

Fabrication of TiO2-based materials with high photocatalytic ability can be considered as a significant research topic in the field of heterogeneous photocatalysis. Herein, ternary photocatalysts composed of TiO2, Ag6Si2O7, and C-Dots were fabricated through a simple procedure and various techniques were applied to evaluate the photoelectrochemical, optical, textural, structural, and morphological features of the as-obtained photocatalysts. The TiO2/Ag6Si2O7/C-Dots nanocomposite with 0.75 mL of C-Dots indicated greater photoactivity in degradation of fuchsine, rhodamine B, methyl orange, and methylene blue, which was almost 18.1, 24.4, 13.8, and 24.4-times as high as the pristine TiO2 and 3.1, 4.7, 2.8, and 3.6-folds as high as the TiO2/Ag6Si2O7 (20%) nanocomposite, respectively. It was found that formation of n-n heterojunctions among Ag6Si2O7 and TiO2 counterparts and properties of C-Dots lead to prolonged charge lifetime and increased visible-light absorption, leading to impressively improved photocatalytic performance. The quenching tests proved that h(+) and O-center dot(2)- species possess substantial influence on the degradation reactions. In light of the experimental results, the TiO2/Ag6Si2O7/C-Dots nanocomposites can be regarded as highly effective photocatalysts to eliminate toxic contaminants.