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Facile synthesis of flower-like CQDs/S-Bi4O5Br2 composites as a highly efficient visible-light response photocatalyst for ciprofloxacin degradation

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Abstract

The flower-like CQDs/S-Bi4O5Br2 composites photocatalyst with high visible-light response is prepared by adjusting bismuth-rich, S-doped, and introducing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) into the bismuth oxybromide (BiOBr). Particularly, the prepared C10/S6–Bi4O5Br2 composite shows the highest degradation efficiency for the ciprofloxacin (CIP) under visible-light irradiation with the apparent rate constants k of 0.03798 min−1, which is 26.3 times and 10.1 times higher than that of BiOBr and Bi4O5Br2, respectively. The sulfur doping leads to the increase of the specific surface area and decreases of the band gap but retains the original flower-like morphology of Bi4O5Br2. Compared to the pure Bi4O5Br2, CQDs/Bi4O5Br2, and S-Bi4O5Br2, the CQDs introduction and S-doping can improve both of the light absorption range and intensity, as well as the charge transfer efficiency for the C10/S6–Bi4O5Br2 composites. Furthermore, because of the combination of the CQDs and S doped for the Bi4O5Br2 composites, the separation efficiency of photo-generated carriers is improved with the recombination rate greatly reduced.

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Acknowledgements

This project was financially supported by the Scientific Research Plan Project of the Education Department of the Hubei Province [grant number B2019377], the Open Project of Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education [grant number GCP20190205].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Novel Reactor and Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, People’s Republic of China

    Peijie Weng, Qing Cai, Huadong Wu, Linfeng Zhang, Kun Wu & Jia Guo

  2. The College of Post and Telecommunication of Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430073, People’s Republic of China

    Kun Wu

  3. School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Linfeng Zhang

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  1. Peijie Weng
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  2. Qing Cai
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Weng, P., Cai, Q., Wu, H. et al. Facile synthesis of flower-like CQDs/S-Bi4O5Br2 composites as a highly efficient visible-light response photocatalyst for ciprofloxacin degradation. J Mater Sci 57, 1977–1993 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-021-06661-z

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