In situ synthesis of oxygen-doped carbon quantum dots embedded in MIL-53(Fe) for efficient degradation of oxytetracycline

Introducing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) into photocatalysts is believed to boost the charge transfer rate and reduce charge complexation. Doping heteroatoms such as N, S, or P enable CQDs to have an uplifting electron transfer capability. However, the application of oxygen-doped CQDs to improve the performance of photocatalysts has rarely been reported. Herein, a type of carbon-oxygen quantum dots (COQDs) was in situ embedded into MIL-53(Fe) to aid peroxydisulfate (PDS)-activated degradation of oxytetracycline (OTC) under visible light irradiation. The successful embedding of COQDs was confirmed by XRD, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, and TEM techniques. Photoelectrochemical testing confirmed its better performance. The prepared COQDs1/MIL-53(Fe) showed 88.2% decomposition efficiency of OTC in 60 min, which was 1.45 times higher than that of pure MIL-53(Fe). In addition, the performance of the material was tested at different pH, OTC concentrations, catalyst dosing, and PDS dosing. It was also subjected to cyclic testing to check stability. Moreover, free radical trapping experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance were conducted to explore the possible OTC deterioration mechanism. Our work provides a new idea for the development of MOFs for water treatment and remediation.