Extensive solar light utilizing by ternary C-dots/Cu₂O/SrTiO₃: Highly enhanced photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics and inactivation of E. coli

Fabrication of a visible-light driven photocatalyst is of great vital for the elimination of antibiotics and microorganism in the wastewater and the construction of sustainable green energy systems. In this work, carbon quantum dots (C-dots) were integrated with Cu₂O/SrTiO₃ p-n heterojunction to optimize the photocatalytic activity. The excellent photocatalytic degradation efficiency of chlortetracycline hydrochloride (CTC·HCl) (92.6% within 90 min) and E. coli inactivation efficiency were observed over C-dots/Cu₂O/SrTiO₃ under visible light irradiation. It is the synergistic effect of p-n heterojunction and modification of C-dots that facilitates the separation and transfer of electron-holes. Meanwhile, the modification of C-dots improves the harvesting of long wavelength solar light of photocatalysts due to its unique up-conversion photoluminescence (UCPL) characteristics. Eventually, the possible photocatalytic degradation path of the catalyst was inferred by LC-MS spectra, and the degradation mechanism was analyzed. This study sheds light on new possibilities for the application of photocatalysts in various light sources and has broad application prospects in water treatment.