The enhancement of photocatalytic performance of SrTiO3 nanoparticles via combining with carbon quantum dots

Abstract

Carbon quantum dots were prepared by a simple chemical process using activated carbon as carbon source. The as-prepared carbon quantum dots are fine with a narrow size distribution and show excellent hydrophilicity. The carbon quantum dots were combined with SrTiO₃ nanoparticles through a simple impregnation process to obtain a carbon quantum dots/SrTiO₃ nanocomposite. The photocatalytic reaction rate of carbon quantum dots/SrTiO₃ nanocomposite is about 5.5 times as large as that of pure SrTiO₃ in the degradation of rhodamine B under sunlight irradiation. The enhanced performance in the degradation of rhodamine B may be attributed to the interfacial transfer of photogenerated electrons from SrTiO₃ to carbon quantum dots, leading to effective charge separation in SrTiO₃. Carbon quantum dots show potential applications in high-efficiency photocatalyst design.