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Ternary TiO2/P-GQDs/AgI nanocomposites with n-p-n heterojunctions for enhanced visible photocatalysis

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Abstract

TiO2-based materials are important photocatalysts but the rapid recombination of photoexcited electron–hole pairs, and the wide band gap both limit their photocatalytic activities. In this work, p-type phosphorus-doped graphene quantum dots (P-GQDs, 5~20 nm) were combined with n-type TiO2 nanoparticles (20~50 nm) and n-type silver iodide (AgI, 100~200 nm) by a facile sonication and precipitation process to yield a novel ternary photocatalyst TiO2/P-GQDs/AgI with n-p-n heterojunctions. The morphologies, structures, optical properties, and chemical environments of photocatalysts were all studied. The resulting ternary photocatalyst exhibited enhanced visible photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of methyl orange (MO), estimated to 70.4-fold that of pure TiO2. By contrast, the photocatalytic activities of TiO2/GQDs with an n-n heterojunction, TiO2/P-GQDs with a p-n heterojunction, and TiO2/GQDs/AgI (30%) with an n-n-n heterojunction showed 4.4-fold, 5.3-fold, and 14.2-fold higher than those of TiO2. The electrochemical and optical measurements revealed that the enhanced photocatalytic activity was linked to promoted charge carrier separation by n-p-n heterojunctions coupled with the increased absorption in the visible region. Overall, the new band structure connected in series p-n heterojunctions looks promising as a highly efficient photodegradation system for future use in decontamination of polluted water.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 12164013), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province (nos. 2020GXNSFAA297268 and 2020GXNSFBA297125), the Science and Technology Base and Talent Special Project of Guangxi Province (no. AD21220029), and Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education (no. YCSW2022331).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Science & Ministry-Province Jointly-Constructed Cultivation Base for State Key Laboratory of Processing for Non-Ferrous Metal and Featured Materials & Key Lab. of Nonferrous Materials and New Processing Technology, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541004, China

    Chuanfu Shan, Ziyi Liu, Fuchao Li, Wenhan Jia, Gaotuo Cai, Ming Li, Tao Tang, Shuai Li, Jianfeng Wen, Guanghui Hu, Li Jiang & Xinyu Li

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  1. Chuanfu Shan
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Correspondence to Ming Li or Shuai Li.

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Shan, C., Liu, Z., Li, F. et al. Ternary TiO2/P-GQDs/AgI nanocomposites with n-p-n heterojunctions for enhanced visible photocatalysis. J Nanopart Res 25, 128 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-023-05775-6

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