Green synthesis of carbon quantum dots embedded onto titanium dioxide nanowires for enhancing photocurrent

The green synthesis of nanowired photocatalyst composed of carbon quantum dots-titanium hybrid-semiconductors, CQDs/TiO₂, are reported. Where graphite-based CQDs with a size less than 5 nm are directly synthesized in pure water electrolyte by a one-step electrochemistry approach and subsequently electrodeposited onto as-prepared TiO₂ nanowires through a voltage-driven reduction process. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies show that the CQDs can generate singlet oxygen and/or oxygen radicals to decompose the kinetic H₂O₂ intermediate species upon UV light illumination. With the effect of peroxidase-like CQDs, photocurrent density of CQDs/TiO₂ is remarkably enhanced by a 6.4 factor when compared with that of as-prepared TiO₂.