Hybridization of carbon-dots with ZnO nanoparticles of different sizes

ZnO nanoparticles were hybridized with carbon dots (Cdots) and the hybrids were characterized. ZnO(100) and ZnO(20) with particle sizes of 94 and 20 nm, respectively, were synthesized by calcination and polyol solvent methods, respectively. The morphology, size and crystallinity of ZnO nanoparticles were not varied by the addition of Cdots. The spectroscopic results indicated the successful attachment of Cdots to ZnO nanoparticles. The specific surface area of ZnO(20) was larger than ZnO(100) and increased with the hybridization of Cdots. When the amount of ethylenediamine against citric acid between raw materials of Cdots was increased, the existence of nitrogen in Cdots became recognized. The band gap increased with decreasing particle size, and the addition of Cdots decreased the band gap of ZnO. Thus, these results suggest that the hybrids of ZnO with Cdots may exert the performance on photocatalysis and photovoltaic electrochemistry. (C) 2018 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.