N,Cu-CD-Decorated Mesoporous WO3 for Enhanced Photocatalysis Under UV–Vis–NIR Light Irradiation

Abstract

Research on the design of semiconductor photocatalysts with rapid electron transfer efficiencies and broad-spectrum responses for environmental remediation remains a pressing challenge. Herein, we described the fabrication of a novel broad-spectrum nitrogen and copper codoped carbon dots/mesoporous WO3 nanocomposite (N,Cu-CDs/m-WO3), which exhibited complete UV–vis–NIR spectrum response, light harvesting capabilities, rich oxygen vacancies, rapid electron-transfer ability, low electron–hole (e−/h+) pair recombination rate, and extensive specific surface area. After 2 h of photocatalytic reaction, it showed excellent photoactivities for the degradation of rhodamine B, methylene blue, tetracycline hydrochloride, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and bisphenol A. Moreover, we found that the conversion between Cu (II) and Cu (I) played a key role in accelerating electron transfer and inhibiting the recombination of e−/h+ pairs. This work provides an efficient strategy for the utilization of solar light and enhancing the charge-transfer capacity in the semiconductor photocatalysis field.