Cellulose-Derived Carbon Dot-Guided Growth of ZnIn2S4 Nanosheets for Photocatalytic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-Diformylfuran

Cellulose-derived carbon (CC) dot-directed growth of ZnIn2S4 was achieved through hydrothermal treatment of carboxylated cellulose followed by in situ growth of ZnIn2S4 nanosheets. The carbon dots inherited from carboxylated cellulose equip plenty of surface carboxyl groups, which induce the ionic interaction with Zn2+ and In3+ and the guided growth of ZnIn2S4. As a result, the nanosheets of ZnIn2S4 are evenly and intimately grown on the small carbon dots, providing high-speed channels for charges transfer. In conjunction with the reinforced visible-light capture and good conductivity of carbon dots, the resultant CC/ZnIn2S4 shows an outstanding photocatalytic activity. As a proof-of-concept, visible-light-driven 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation into 2,5-diformylfuran was conducted. The evolution of 2,5-diformylfuran over the optimal CC/ZnIn2S4 sample can reach similar to 2980 mu mol g(-1), about 3.4 times that of pristine ZnIn2S4. Additionally, the apparent quantum yield could attain 3.4 % at a wavelength of 400 nm.

Automated summary

Cellulose-derived carbon dot-directed growth of ZnIn2S4 was achieved through hydrothermal treatment of carboxylated cellulose followed by in situ growth of ZnIn2S4 nanosheets. The resultant CC/ZnIn2S4 demonstrated outstanding photocatalytic activity and can be used for visible-light catalytic reactions.