Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2

In recent years, water pollution caused by population growth has become one of the most health-threatening problems. To solve this problem, photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants using solar energy is expected. Among various photocatalysts, TiO2 has been widely used and studied because of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hiroki Shimamura, Trang Nakamoto, Kozo Taguchi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEREK Press 2025-03-01
Series:Environmental Science and Sustainable Development
Subjects:
Online Access:https://press.ierek.com/index.php/ESSD/article/view/1126
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850203319703699456
author Hiroki Shimamura
Trang Nakamoto
Kozo Taguchi
author_facet Hiroki Shimamura
Trang Nakamoto
Kozo Taguchi
author_sort Hiroki Shimamura
collection DOAJ
description In recent years, water pollution caused by population growth has become one of the most health-threatening problems. To solve this problem, photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants using solar energy is expected. Among various photocatalysts, TiO2 has been widely used and studied because of its non-toxicity, low cost, and high chemical stability. However, TiO2 has a wide band gap of 3.2 eV, so only ultraviolet light is available. Since ultraviolet rays account for only about 3~5% of sunlight, research on the effective use of visible light, which accounts for about 45% of sunlight, has been active in recent years. Known major approaches include heterojunction coupling, doping, and dye sensitization. Among them, composites of carbon nanomaterials and TiO2 have been shown to improve optical absorption in visible light. In recent years, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted attention as a new carbon nanomaterial because of their unique properties. CQDs are non-toxic, inexpensive, and easy to tune. Therefore, it has been applied as a composite material for TiO2 and has been reported to have an optical absorption edge of 419 nm and a band gap of 2.96 eV. In this study, SiO2@TiO2/CQD heterojunction structures were fabricated, and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated using methylene blue. By adjusting the particle size of SiO2@TiO2, the optical wavelength to be reflected can be selected. Among them, SiO2@TiO2 which can reflect optical wavelengths around 400 nm was adjusted to form a structure that allows more efficient optical utilization of TiO2/CQDs.SiO2@TiO2/CQD is a mixture of TiO2 and CQDs coated on the surface of a SiO2 porous structure prepared by the Stover method. This simple preparation method resulted in high surface area, efficient light utilization due to the heterostructure, and efficient charge mobility. As a result, the degradation performance against organic pollutants was shown to be improved.
format Article
id doaj-art-7134baf04d4442bd99203a3dffb5b274
institution OA Journals
issn 2357-0849
2357-0857
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher IEREK Press
record_format Article
series Environmental Science and Sustainable Development
spelling doaj-art-7134baf04d4442bd99203a3dffb5b2742025-08-20T02:11:33ZengIEREK PressEnvironmental Science and Sustainable Development2357-08492357-08572025-03-0110110.21625/essd.v10i1.1126Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2Hiroki Shimamura0Trang Nakamoto1Kozo Taguchi2Master's student, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, JapanAssistant Professor, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ritsumeikan University of Kusatsu, JapanProfessor, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Ritsumeikan University of Kusatsu, Japan In recent years, water pollution caused by population growth has become one of the most health-threatening problems. To solve this problem, photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants using solar energy is expected. Among various photocatalysts, TiO2 has been widely used and studied because of its non-toxicity, low cost, and high chemical stability. However, TiO2 has a wide band gap of 3.2 eV, so only ultraviolet light is available. Since ultraviolet rays account for only about 3~5% of sunlight, research on the effective use of visible light, which accounts for about 45% of sunlight, has been active in recent years. Known major approaches include heterojunction coupling, doping, and dye sensitization. Among them, composites of carbon nanomaterials and TiO2 have been shown to improve optical absorption in visible light. In recent years, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted attention as a new carbon nanomaterial because of their unique properties. CQDs are non-toxic, inexpensive, and easy to tune. Therefore, it has been applied as a composite material for TiO2 and has been reported to have an optical absorption edge of 419 nm and a band gap of 2.96 eV. In this study, SiO2@TiO2/CQD heterojunction structures were fabricated, and their photocatalytic activity was evaluated using methylene blue. By adjusting the particle size of SiO2@TiO2, the optical wavelength to be reflected can be selected. Among them, SiO2@TiO2 which can reflect optical wavelengths around 400 nm was adjusted to form a structure that allows more efficient optical utilization of TiO2/CQDs.SiO2@TiO2/CQD is a mixture of TiO2 and CQDs coated on the surface of a SiO2 porous structure prepared by the Stover method. This simple preparation method resulted in high surface area, efficient light utilization due to the heterostructure, and efficient charge mobility. As a result, the degradation performance against organic pollutants was shown to be improved. https://press.ierek.com/index.php/ESSD/article/view/1126Mesoporous SiO2@TiO2PhotocatalyticMethylene blueCQDPhotocatalyst
spellingShingle Hiroki Shimamura
Trang Nakamoto
Kozo Taguchi
Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2
Environmental Science and Sustainable Development
Mesoporous SiO2@TiO2
Photocatalytic
Methylene blue
CQD
Photocatalyst
title Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2
title_full Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2
title_fullStr Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2
title_full_unstemmed Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2
title_short Visible Light-responsive Photocatalyst Synthesized by Incorporating CQDs into SiO2@TiO2
title_sort visible light responsive photocatalyst synthesized by incorporating cqds into sio2 tio2
topic Mesoporous SiO2@TiO2
Photocatalytic
Methylene blue
CQD
Photocatalyst
url https://press.ierek.com/index.php/ESSD/article/view/1126
work_keys_str_mv AT hirokishimamura visiblelightresponsivephotocatalystsynthesizedbyincorporatingcqdsintosio2tio2
AT trangnakamoto visiblelightresponsivephotocatalystsynthesizedbyincorporatingcqdsintosio2tio2
AT kozotaguchi visiblelightresponsivephotocatalystsynthesizedbyincorporatingcqdsintosio2tio2