N,P-codoped carbon quantum dots-decorated TiO2 nanowires as nanosized heterojunction photocatalyst with improved photocatalytic performance for methyl blue degradation

N,P-doped carbon quantum dots (N,P-CQDs) are deemed as a promising candidate to environmentally friendly materials owing to the inexpensive, biocompatible nature. TiO2 nanowire is a prospective photocatalyst because of its efficient migration of photoexcited carriers in wastewater treatment. However, the N,P-CQDs-decorated TiO2 nanowire (N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2) photocatalysts have been rarely reported. In this study, we build N,P-CQDs on the surface of TiO2 nanowires via a simple deposition process. Our investigations demonstrate that N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 has a great photocatalytic degradation for methyl blue (MB) under irradiation. The degradation rate of can reach 93.6% within 120 min under proper conditions. The excellent degradation performance of N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 is ascribed to the mesoporous structure and high separation rate of photoexcited carriers. In addition, the N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 have outstanding recycled photocatalytic capability. After being recycled four times, the N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2 still maintain 59.9% photocatalytic activity. The fabricated nanosized photocatalyst can be widely utilized in the field of photocatalysis for wastewater treatment.

Automated summary

In this study, N,P-CQDs were deposited on TiO2 nanowires to form N,P-CQDs/NW-TiO2, which exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation for methyl blue due to its mesoporous structure and high separation rate of photoexcited carriers. Additionally, the fabricated nanosized photocatalyst showed outstanding recycled photocatalytic capability, maintaining 59.9% activity after four cycles, indicating its potential for widespread use in wastewater treatment.