Ultrathin BiWO nanosheets loaded g-CN quantum dots: A direct Z-scheme photocatalyst with enhanced photocatalytic activity towards degradation of organic pollutants under wide spectrum light irradiation.

A novel ultrathin BiWO nanosheets loaded g-CN quantum dots (CNQDs/BWO) photocatalyst was successfully fabricated, and used to catalyze two representative organic pollutants, rhodamine B (RhB) and tetracycline (TC) under wide spectrum light irradiation. The degradation experiments showed that CNQDs/BWO exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activities towards degradation of organic pollutants. Under visible light irradiation, the 5% CNQDs/BWO exhibited the best degradation efficiency with 87% and 92.51% removal of TC and RhB within 60 min, respectively. And under near-infrared (NIR) light, the 5% CNQDs/BWO still showed the best performance, its degradation efficiency to TC were ∼2 times than pure BWO. The upconversion behaviors of CNQDs might contribute to the enhanced photocatalysis. According to similar degradation trend, it is inferred that the catalytic mechanism in NIR light is consistent with that in visible light. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of CNQDs/BWO under wide spectrum light irradiation can be ascribed to a Z-scheme mechanism based on the calculated the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of CNQDs and CB position of BWO, the free radical quenching experiment, and ESR characterization results. The composites have prominent light absorption, high stability and excellent photocatalysis efficiency, which would be used as a promising strategy for organic pollutants degradation.