Mass Production, Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Efficiency, and Application of Modified ZnO Nanocrystals by Carbon Dots

The carbon dot (C-ZnO NCs) modified zinc oxide with novel visible-light catalytic abilities was mass produced by combustion method. During the formation process, the generated gas of reagents under high temperature can effectively break the product into small particles. Meanwhile, a certain amount of carbon dots have been formed and loaded on the surface of ZnO NCs. The results suggest that the carbon dots have a huge impact on the photocatalytic performance. Specifically, when the molar ratio of glycine to zinc nitrate was 2:1, the product was a monodisperse particle with an average diameter of about 70–80 nm and BET specific surface area of 11.88 m2·g–1, which exhibited the best catalytic efficiency. The degradation process of Rh. B can be completed within 15 min, with an increase of 433.3% compared with pure ZnO materials (80 min). The present study is not only significant for improving large-scale production of modified ZnO NCs but also for suggesting practical application fields such as environmental...