Issue 12, 2018

Fluorescent carbon dot decorated MnO2 nanorods for complete photomineralization of phenol from water

Abstract

The enormous generation of wastewater has become the highest rated problem worldwide and day by day photocatalysis is gaining importance as the best option for wastewater treatment. In the context of recent studies for the development of photocatalysts, a novel MnO2@CQDs nanocomposite (carbon dots decorated on MnO2 nanorods) was prepared by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The optical properties revealed an excitation edge at 540 nm and a band gap of 1.3 eV for the nanocomposite. Structural and morphological studies revealed open-ended MnO2 nanorods (length and breadth are 510 nm and 110 nm, respectively) and spherical CQDs are seen deposited on the surface of MnO2. The nanocomposite also possesses a high surface area (95.3 m2 g−1) with mesopores (diameter 39 nm) which directly influences ionic transport. Using MnO2@CQDs the photocatalytic degradation of phenol was tested under various operational parameters. Under optimum operational parameters, phenol degradation efficiency was found to be ∼90% with a high rate constant R = 0.029 min−1. The mechanism for the higher activity of the MnO2@CQDs nanocomposite was elucidated using different scavengers and cyclic voltammetry studies. These results underline the prospective application of the MnO2@CQDs photocatalyst in water treatment.

Graphical abstract: Fluorescent carbon dot decorated MnO2 nanorods for complete photomineralization of phenol from water

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Apr 2018
Accepted
06 Sep 2018
First published
12 Sep 2018

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2018,4, 2012-2020

Fluorescent carbon dot decorated MnO2 nanorods for complete photomineralization of phenol from water

A. Mehta, A. Mishra and S. Basu, Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2018, 4, 2012 DOI: 10.1039/C8EW00235E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements