Fluorescent carbon dots synthesized by waste wind turbine blade for photocatalytic degradation

Abstract

Developing novel waste recycling strategies has become a feasible solution to overcome environmental pollution. In this work, a method of using waste wind turbine blade (WTB) as a carbon source to synthesize blue fluorescent carbon dots (B‐CDs) by hydrothermal treatment is proposed. B‐CDs are spherical and have an average particle size of 5.2 nm. The surface is rich in C–O, C=O, −CH3, and N–H bond functional groups, containing five elements: C, O, N, Si, and Ca. The optimal emission wavelength of B‐CDs is 463 nm, corresponding to an excitation wavelength of 380 nm. Notably, a relatively high quantum yield of 29.9% and a utilization rate of 40% were obtained. In addition, B‐CDs can serve as a photocatalyst to degrade methylene blue dye, with a degradation efficiency of 64% under 40‐min irradiation conditions. The presence of holes has a significant influence on the degradation process.