Fabrication of a Hierarchical TiO₂ Microsphere/Carbon Dots Photocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution and Dye Degradation Under Visible Light.

Anatase hierarchical TiO2 microsphere/carbon dots composite (HTM/CDs) was fabricated by a facile method for active visible light photocatalysis. The phase, morphology, microstructure and optical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electronmicroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectroscopy respectively. Under visible light illumination, the fabricated HTM/CDs composite was exhibited an enhanced photo catalytic activity compared to that of pure hierarchical TiO2 microspheres (HTM). Such an enhancement in photocatalytic activity can be attributed to an increase in the absorption of visible light. The photocatalytic activity was investigated by the degradation of a model dyemalachite green (MG) and oxygen production through water splitting.We believe that this type of hybrid material could be used as a highly active and stable visible light photocatalyst to remove pollutants as well as energy production with high performance.