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

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.