Effect of N-doped Carbon Quantum Dots (NCQDs) on NCQDs/TiO2/PVA Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue under Visible Light Rachmat Waluyo, Aljufri Hadju, Yolanda Rati, Yasni Novi Hendri, and Yudi Darma*
Physics of Materials Electronics Research Group, Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
*yudi[at]itb.ac.id
Abstract
We study the effect of N-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) on NCQDs/TiO2/PVA nanocomposites for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) as a model pollutant dye under visible light irradiation. NCQDs were synthesized from Pangium edule (keluak) shells and urea as nitrogen-doped through a one-step heating reaction. The prepared NCQD has a diameter of 3.51 nm and photoluminescence emission centered at 445 nm. With the aim of producing an efficient and reusable catalytic system for wastewater treatment, NCQDs and TiO2 were incorporated into a PVA matrix and tested for their dye removal ability. NCQDs/TiO2/PVA nanocomposites were synthesized by solution casting method with different CDs concentration (1, 2, and 3 mL). FTIR and XRD results confirm the presence of PVA/TiO2/CDs in the nanocomposite. Moreover, the presence of NCQDs enhances photodegradation efficiency. We found that, the concentration of 2 mL of NCQDs on the NCQDs/TiO2/PVA nanocomposite became the most optimal catalyst with degradation efficiency up to 99.8% for 180 minutes under visible light irradiation and showed stability as a catalyst for MB degradation until 5 cycles. We can see that NCQDs/TiO2/PVA nanocomposites using this easy synthetic method have demonstrated efficient photocatalytic properties, offering an environmentally friendly and sustainable water remediation technology.
Keywords: Water contamination- Dyes, Photocatalyst, NCQDs/TiO2/PVA nanocomposite, Keluak shell waste
