Systematic Bandgap Engineering of Graphene Quantum Dots and Applications for Photocatalytic Water Splitting and CO2 Reduction

Yibo Yan; Jie Chen; Nan Li; Jingqi Tian; Kaixin Li; Jizhou Jiang; Jiyang Liu; Qinghua Tian; Peng Chen

doi:10.1021/acsnano.8b00498

Systematic Bandgap Engineering of Graphene Quantum Dots and Applications for Photocatalytic Water Splitting and CO₂ Reduction

ACS Nano. 2018 Apr 24;12(4):3523-3532. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b00498. Epub 2018 Mar 20.

Authors

Yibo Yan¹, Jie Chen¹, Nan Li¹, Jingqi Tian¹, Kaixin Li¹, Jizhou Jiang¹, Jiyang Liu², Qinghua Tian², Peng Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , 70 Nanyang Drive , 637457 , Singapore.
² Department of Chemistry, School of Sciences , Zhejiang Sci-Tech University , 928 Second Avenue, Xiasha Higher Education Zone , Hangzhou 637457 , China.

PMID: 29547255
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b00498

Abstract

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which is the latest addition to the nanocarbon material family, promise a wide spectrum of applications. Herein, we demonstrate two different functionalization strategies to systematically tailor the bandgap structures of GQDs whereby making them snugly suitable for particular applications. Furthermore, the functionalized GQDs with a narrow bandgap and intramolecular Z-scheme structure are employed as the efficient photocatalysts for water splitting and carbon dioxide reduction under visible light. The underlying mechanisms of our observations are studied and discussed.

Keywords: CO2 reduction; bandgap engineering; graphene quantum dots; photocatalysis; photoluminescence; water splitting.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't