The surface of BiOCl nanosheets, prepared by a simple hydrothermal
method, was decorated by carbon quantum dots (CQDs) through a
microwave-assisted procedure. According to Diffuse Reflectance
spectroscopy (DRS), light-harvesting properties improved significantly,
which was explainable based on the bandgap of the final photocatalyst, 1.15
eV. Elemental analysis results coupled with scanning electron microscopy
(SEM) images proved changes in the morphological characteristics after
adding CQDs to the support; While in powder X-ray diffraction (XRD)
patterns, there was no indication of further crystalline phases on the surface
of BiOCl nanosheets. The photocatalytic performance of the nanostructures
was evaluated by Congo red dye removal under visible light at room
temperature. The photoreaction obeyed first-order kinetics with the rate
constant of 0.011 min-1. According to the experiments, photodegradation
was noticeably affected by catalyst dosage, dye concentration, and pH,
which were all optimized. The photocatalytic performance of the prepared
nanostructure was mechanistically discussed, considering the desirable
role of CQDs towards reaching superior photoactivity