Development of nitrogen doped carbon dots modified CuCo alloy nanoparticles for potential electrocatalytic water splitting

Magnetic raspberry-like CuCo nanoalloy-embedded carbon as an enhanced activator of Oxone to degrade azo contaminant: Cu-induced hollowed structure and boosted activities

Azo compounds, particularly azo dyes, are widely used but pose significant environmental risks due to their persistence and potential to form carcinogenic by-products. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are effective in degrading these stubborn compounds, with Oxone activation being a particularly promising method. In this study, a unique nanohybrid material, raspberry-like CuCo alloy embedded carbon (RCCC), is facilely fabricated using CuCo-glycerate (Gly) as a template. With the incorporation of Cu into Co, RCCC is essentially different from its analogue derived from Co-Gly in the absence of Cu, affording a popcorn-like Co embedded on carbon (PCoC). RCCC exhibits a unique morphology, featuring a hollow spherical layer covered by nanoscale beads composed of CuCo alloy distributed over carbon. Therefore, RCCC significantly outperforms PCoC and Co3O4 for activating Oxone to degrade the toxic azo contaminant, Azorubin S (AS), in terms of efficiency and kinetics. Furthermore, RCCC remains highly effective in environments with high NaCl concentrations and can be efficiently reused across multiple cycles. Besides, RCCC also leads to the considerably lower Ea of AS degradation than the reported Ea values by other catalysts. More importantly, the contribution of incorporating Cu with Co as CuCo alloy in RCCC is also elucidated using the Density-Function-Theory (DFT) calculation and synergetic effect of Cu and Co in CuCo contributes to enhance Oxone activation, and boosts generation of SO4•-and •OH. The decomposition pathway of AS by RCCC + Oxone is also comprehensively investigated by studying the Fukui indices of AS and a series of its degradation by-products using the DFT calculation. In accordance to the toxicity assessment, RCCC + Oxone also considerably reduces acute and chronic toxicities to lower potential environmental impact. These results ensure that RCCC would be an advantageous catalyst for Oxone activation to degrade AS in water.

Constructing Sequential Type II Heterojunction CQDs/Bi2S3/TiNbO Photoanode with Superior Charge Transfer Capability Toward Stable Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Efficient charge transfer and light-trapping units are pivotal prerequisites in the realm of Ti-based photoanode photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this work, we successfully synthesized a ternary carbon quantum dots/Bi2S3 quantum dots/Nb-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (CQDs/Bi2S3/TiNbO) composite photoanode for PEC water splitting. CQDs/Bi2S3/TiNbO composite photoanode exhibited a considerably elevated photocurrent density of 8.80 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode, which was 20.00 times better than that of TiO2 (0.44 mA cm-2). Furthermore, the CQDs/Bi2S3/TiNbO composite photoanode attested to exceptional stability, maintaining 92.54% of its initial current after 5 h of stability measurement. Nb-doping boosted the electrical conductivity, facilitating charge transfer at the solid-liquid interface. Moderate amounts of Bi2S3 quantum dots (QDs) and CQDs deposited on TiNbO provided abundant active sites for the electrolyte-photoanode interaction. Simultaneously, Bi2S3 QDs and CQDs synergistically functioned as light-trapping units to broaden the light absorption range from 396 to 530 nm, stimulating increased carrier generation within the composite photoanode. In comparison with pristine TiO, CQDs/Bi2S3/TiNbO photoanodes possessed a superior ability to promote interfacial reactions. This study may provide a strategy for developing high-performance Ti-based photoanodes with efficient charge transfer and light trapping units for highly driving solar-to-hydrogen conversion.

Nickel/nitrogen-doped carbon nanocomposites: Synthesis and electrochemical sensor for determination of p-nitrophenol in local environment

A novel electrochemical sensor was prepared using N-doped carbon mesoporous materials supported with nickel nanoparticles (Ni-NCs) for environmental p-nitrophenol (p-NP) detection in a specific geographical area. These as-prepared Ni-NCs were dispersed in polyethyleneimine (PEI) solution and modified onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) for electrocatalytic reduction of p-NP. The Ni-NCs-PEI/GCE showed a high Faraday current at -0.302 V during p-NP reduction, because of the synergistic effect between Ni-NCs and PEI. Under ideal conditions, the Ni-NCs-PEI/GCE was used in the voltametric determination of p-NP, with high sensitivity. The linear ranges for p-NP are 0.06-10 μM and 10-100 μM with low detection limit (4.0 nM) and high sensitivity (1.465 μA μM^-1 cm^-2). In the presence of other phenolic compounds, this sensor showed good selectivity for p-NP detection. The Ni-NCs-PEI/GCE was also used to determine p-NP in environmental water samples of a specific geographical area, with recoveries ranging from 95.9% to 109.4%, and an RSD of less than 3.6%. Therefore, this novel Ni-NCs-PEI/GCE provides a good example for the design of other carbon-based nanocomposite materials, for electrochemical detection of trace p-NP in a specific geographical area.

Influence of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots on the Electrocatalytic Performance of the CoP Nanoflower Catalyst for OER

Cobalt phosphides modified by nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (CoP-NCQDs) were successfully constructed by a facile and low-cost hydrothermal treatment, which is expected to replace traditional noble-metal oxygen evolution reaction electrode materials. Detailed experiments and findings show that nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) have a significant impact on the morphology of the CoP catalyst, and nitrogen doping can regulate the surface-active sites to obtain the catalyst with abundant structural defects. Simultaneously, nitrogen doping can regulate the content of pyridinic N and pyrrolic N, which exerts positive effects on the formation of the bond structure and electron conduction between NCQDs and CoP.

Carbon dot/inorganic nanomaterial composites

The preparation methods, formation mechanism, properties and applications of carbon dot/inorganic nanohybrid materials are reported.

Carbon Nanodots in Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy: A Review

Antibiotic resistance development in bacteria is an ever-increasing global health concern as new resistant strains and/or resistance mechanisms emerge each day, out-pacing the discovery of novel antibiotics. Increasingly, research focuses on alternate techniques, such as antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT) or photocatalytic disinfection, to combat pathogens even before infection occurs. Small molecule "photosensitizers" have been developed to date for this application, using light energy to inflict damage and death on nearby pathogens via the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These molecular agents are frequently limited in widespread application by synthetic expense and complexity. Carbon dots, or fluorescent, quasi-spherical nanoparticle structures, provide an inexpensive and "green" solution for a new class of APDT photosensitizers. To date, reviews have examined the overall antimicrobial properties of carbon dot structures. Herein we provide a focused review on the recent progress for carbon nanodots in photodynamic disinfection, highlighting select studies of carbon dots as intrinsic photosensitizers, structural tuning strategies for optimization, and their use in hybrid disinfection systems and materials. Limitations and challenges are also discussed, and contemporary experimental strategies presented. This review provides a focused foundation for which APDT using carbon dots may be expanded in future research, ultimately on a global scale.