title: Highly efficient degradation of dyes by carbon quantum dots/N-doped zinc oxide (CQD/N-ZnO) photocatalyst and its compatibility on three different commercial dyes under daylight.
abstract: Eco-friendly carbon quantum dots/nitrogen-doped ZnO (CQD/N-ZnO) composites were successfully prepared by a facile one-step method. The various techniques were employed to characterize the phase structure, morphology and optical properties of CQD/N-ZnO composites. The nitrogen doping was confirmed by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Three commercial dyes, such as malachite green, methylene blue and fluorescein dyes were chosen to investigate the photocatalytic performance of CQD/N-ZnO under daylight irradiation. It was found that the CQD/N-ZnO photocatalyst established a high compatibility to degrade all three commercial dyes within 30-45 min, under daylight irradiation. Also, it remains capable of reusing the CQD/N-ZnO photocatalyst for repeated photocatalytic performance due to anti-photocorrosion offered by CQDs. The synergetic effect of N-doping and CQDs is key to design a new class of photocatalyst for environmental remediation under naturally available daylight source.
authors.affiliation: Nanoscience Center for Optoelectronic and Energy Devices [Nano-COED], Department of Chemistry, Sona College of Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu 636 005, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muthulingam
authors.affiliation: School of Advanced Materials Engineering and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, South Korea. Electronic address: ihlee@jbnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: In-Hwan
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Nanoscience Center for Optoelectronic and Energy Devices [Nano-COED], Department of Chemistry, Sona College of Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu 636 005, India; School of Advanced Materials Engineering and Research Center of Advanced Materials Development, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, South Korea. Electronic address: uthirakumar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Periyayya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Uthirakumar
keywords: Carbon quantum dots; Daylight; Degradation; Dyes; Photocatalyst; Zinc oxide