Facile preparation of a TiO 2 quantum dot/graphitic carbon nitride heterojunction with highly efficient photocatalytic activity.

In this article, mechanical grinding, an effortless and super-effective synthetic strategy, is used to successfully synthesize a TiO2 quantum dot (TiO2 QD)/graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) heterostructure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results together with transmission electron microscopy reveal the formation of the TiO2 QD/g-C3 N4 heterostructure with strong interfacial interaction. Because of the advantages of this characteristic, the prepared heterostructure exhibits excellent properties for photocatalytic wastewater treatment. Notably, the optimum photocatalytic activity of the TiO2 QD/g-C3 N4 heterostructure is nearly 3.4 times higher than that of the g-C3 N4 nanosheets used for the photodegradation of rhodamine B pollutant. In addition, the stability and possible degradation mechanism of the TiO2 QD/g-C3 N4 heterojunction are studied in detail. This method may stimulate an effective approach to synthesizing QD-sensitized semiconductor materials and facilitate their application in environmental protection.