Molecules (Oct 2023)

Enhancing the Photocatalytic Performance of Antibiotics Using a Z-Scheme Heterojunction of 0D ZnIn<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub> Quantum Dots and 3D Hierarchical Inverse Opal TiO<sub>2</sub>

  • Li-Bang Zhu,
  • Shou-Nian Ding

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28207174
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 28, no. 20
p. 7174

Abstract

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Limited light absorption and rapid photo-generated carriers’ recombination pose significant challenges to the practical applications of photocatalysts. In this study, we employed an efficient approach by combining the slow-photon effect with Z-scheme charge transfer to enhance the photo-degradation performance of antibiotics. Specifically, we incorporated 0D ZnIn2S4 quantum dots (QDs) into a 3D hierarchical inverse opal (IO) TiO2 structure through a facile one-step process. This combination enhanced the visible light absorption and provided abundant active surfaces for efficient photo-degradation. Moreover, the ZnIn2S4 QDs formed an artificial Z-scheme system with IO-TiO2, facilitating the separation and migration of charge carriers. To achieve a better band alignment with IO-TiO2, we doped Ag into the ZnIn2S4 QDs (Ag: ZIS QDs) to adjust their energy levels. Through an investigation of the different Ag contents in the ZnIn2S4 QDs, we found that the optimal photo-degradation performance was achieved with Ag (2.0): ZIS QDs/IO-TiO2, exhibiting degradation rates 19.5 and 14.8 times higher than those of ZnIn2S4 QDs and IO-TiO2, respectively. This study provides significant insights for elevating the photocatalytic capabilities of IO-TiO2 and broadening its prospective applications.

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