Synthesis of Bi2WO6/CQDs/TiO2 composite materials with enhanced photocatalytic performance

A ternary composite material containing TiO 2 , Bi 2 WO 6 , and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) was synthesized in this work. Herein, CQDs were derived from olive leaves using reflux method, and TiO 2 was loaded through hydrothermal treatment. The as-prepared composite (Bi 2 WO 6 /CQDs/TiO 2 ) showed excellent photocatalytic properties. The structure, morphology, and chemical composition of Bi 2 WO 6 /CQDs/TiO 2 were characterized using XRD, SEM, TEM, and XPS. The photocatalytic performance of the composites showed it depends on the loading rate of CQDs. The highest degradation rate of RhB (92%) was achieved at 0.5% for CQDs. UV–vis DRS, photocurrent, and PL analysis results showed that, compared to Bi 2 WO 6 and CQDs/TiO 2 binary composite, the ternary composite Bi 2 WO 6 /CQDs/TiO 2 -0.5 exhibited better visible light response, higher photogenerated carrier separation efficiency, and consequently superior photocatalytic degradation performance.