TiO2 nanoparticles and CQDs co-decorated mesoporous g-C3N4 and their photocatalytic properties for gaseous benzene degradation

Mesoporous g-C3N4 is prepared by a hard template method and is then decorated by carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and TiO2 nanoparticles through an impregnation route followed by a hydrothermal method. The synthesized hybrids possess higher specific surface area up to 131 cm(2)/g and show effective absorption of visible light range and improved instantaneous photocurrent response, which reveals the enhanced photo-generated carrier separation efficiency. The first-order kinetic reaction rate constant of photocatalytic degradation of gaseous benzene by TCPCN-2 is 5.5 times of the bulk g-C3N4. Its degradation rate is up to 96.08% with good photocatalytic stability. Thus, the TiO2 nanoparticles and CQDs co-decorated g-C3N4 hybrids are promising photocatalysts.