CdTe quantum dots incorporated in CoNiAl layered double hydroxide interlayer spaces as a highly efficient visible light driven photocaytalyst for degradation of an azo dye and Bisphenol A

Abstract The photocatalytic application of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) is restricted by the charge carriers recombination and tendency to aggregate in suspended systems. Novel functionalized CdTe (F-CdTe) QDs and CoNiAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocomposite have been prepared to utilize the unique advantages of CdTe QDs. The nanocomposite is prepared via in situ synthesis of LDH in the presence of as-prepared F-CdTe QDs where the QDs partially intercalated in the interlayer spaces of LDHs. As a result of the effective electronic coupling between F-CdTe QDs and CoNiAl LDH, the light-harvesting ability has been enhanced and the absorption edge expands toward the higher visible light wavelengths. Moreover, the charge carriers recombination in nanocomposite has been considerably suppressed compared to the pristine CoNiAl LDH and F-CdTe QDs. Also, the nanocomposite shows remarkable enhancing in photocatalytic degradation of Acid Red 14 (AR14) and Bisphenol A (BPA) as the sample pollutants. The photogenerated holes and hydroxyl radicals have a determining role in the degradation of AR14. The plausible mechanism is proposed based on the experimental results and theoretical calculations. The prepared nanocomposite represents superior photocatalytic activity after 5 consecutive runs. So, the CdTe QDs can be effectively utilized in photocatalytic applications through the proposed promising approach.