Metal-Free Carbon Quantum Dots Implant Graphitic Carbon Nitride: Enhanced Photocatalytic Dye Wastewater Purification with Simultaneous Hydrogen Production

The use of photocatalysts to purify wastewater and simultaneously convert solar energy into clean hydrogen energy is of considerable significance in environmental science. However, it is still a challenge due to their relatively high costs, low efficiencies, and poor stabilities. In this study, a metal-free carbon quantum dots (CQDs) modified graphitic carbon nitride photocatalyst (CCN) was synthesized by a facile method. The characterization and theoretical calculation results reveal that the incorporation of CQDs into the g-C3N4 matrix significantly improves the charge transfer and separation efficiency, exhibits a redshift of absorption edge, narrows the bandgap, and prevents the recombination of photoexcited carriers. The hydrogen production and simultaneous degradation of methylene blue (MB) or rhodamine B (RhB) in simulated wastewaters were further tested. In the simulated wastewater, the CCN catalyst showed enhanced photodegradation efficiency, accompanied with the increased hydrogen evolution rate (1291 µmol·h−1·g−1). The internal electrical field between the g-C3N4 and the CQDs is the main reason for the spatial separation of photoexcited electron-hole pairs. Overall, this work could offer a new protocol for the design of highly efficient photocatalysts for dye wastewater purification with simultaneous hydrogen production.