Solar-active biogenic CQD-TiO<sub>2</sub> nanorods: toward safe and efficient water treatment systems

Koc Kesir M., AYAZOĞLU DEMİR E., Yilmaz M. D.

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH, cilt.48, sa.3, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 48 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10653-026-03032-y
  • Dergi Adı: ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, Environment Index, Geobase, INSPEC, MEDLINE
  • Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Biomass-derived carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were integrated with TiO2 nanorods to enhance visible-light photocatalytic performance. Photocatalytic performance was evaluated for the degradation of an organic dye and removal of a heavy metal under visible-light irradiation; the incorporation of C-CQDs reduced the band gap of TiO2 nanorods from 3.11 eV to 2.84 eV, resulting in enhanced photocatalytic performance with 88.04% dye degradation and 88.39% Cr(VI) reduction. In addition, the hybrid photocatalyst showed enhanced antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli compared with pristine TiO2, while cytotoxicity assays confirmed acceptable biocompatibility. The C-CQDs/TNRs photocatalyst retained more than 95% of its initial activity after three consecutive reuse cycles, demonstrating excellent stability and reusability. This work demonstrates a promising biomass-to-functional-nanomaterial pathway for multifunctional photocatalytic systems, offering potential for wastewater treatment and microbial disinfection applications.