Sheshmani Shabnam, Mardali Mahan, Shokrollahzadeh Soheila, Bide Yasamin, Tarlani Roya
Department of Chemistry, YI.C, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Chemical Technologies, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), Tehran, Iran.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 30;15(1):19027. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-04453-y.
Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) represent a novel class of zero-dimensional nanomaterials with exceptional optical and photocatalytic properties. This study investigates the hydrothermal synthesis of cellulose-derived CQDs, aiming to evaluate their effectiveness in degrading industrial dyes. The synthesized CQDs exhibited a quasi-spherical morphology averaging 7 nm in diameter and a band gap of 4 eV, characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Under optimized conditions of pH 4 and a CQD concentration of 0.04 g, the CQDs achieved notable degradation efficiencies of 84.81% for Acid Dye 5R.113 and 55.4% for Reactive Dye TB133 after 120 min of UV irradiation. The superior photocatalytic performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of optimized particle size (enabling strong quantum confinement), abundant surface functional groups (promoting effective interaction with dye molecules), and enhanced light absorption capabilities (boosting photogenerated charge carrier production). Kinetic studies revealed a pseudo-second-order degradation model, with correlation coefficients nearing 0.99, indicating complex interactions between dye molecules and CQD surfaces. The study underscores the potential of using cellulose-a renewable and abundant biopolymer-as a sustainable precursor for eco-friendly photocatalytic systems. This research provides compelling evidence for the application of cellulose-derived CQDs in addressing industrial wastewater treatment challenges through efficient and safe degradation of persistent organic pollutants.
碳量子点（CQDs）是一类新型的零维纳米材料，具有卓越的光学和光催化性能。本研究探究了纤维素衍生的CQDs的水热合成，旨在评估其对工业染料的降解效果。合成的CQDs呈现出平均直径为7纳米的准球形形态，带隙为4电子伏特，通过傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT-IR）、拉曼光谱、X射线衍射（XRD）和高分辨率透射电子显微镜（HR-TEM）进行表征。在pH值为4和CQD浓度为0.04克的优化条件下，经过120分钟的紫外线照射，CQDs对酸性染料5R.113的降解效率达到了显著的84.81%，对活性染料TB133的降解效率为55.4%。优异的光催化性能归因于优化的粒径（实现强量子限制）、丰富的表面官能团（促进与染料分子的有效相互作用）和增强的光吸收能力（提高光生电荷载流子的产生）的协同效应。动力学研究揭示了一个伪二级降解模型，相关系数接近0.99，表明染料分子与CQD表面之间存在复杂的相互作用。该研究强调了使用纤维素（一种可再生且丰富的生物聚合物）作为环保光催化系统可持续前体的潜力。这项研究为纤维素衍生的CQDs通过高效安全地降解持久性有机污染物来应对工业废水处理挑战的应用提供了有力证据。
