Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Photocatalytic Activity Evaluation of CdTe Quantom Dots with Visible Light - Photo Activation for Degradation and Photocatalytic Decolorization of Organic Pollutants

CdTe quantum dot was synthesized by a wet chemical route in aqueous solutions, and used as a visible-light responsive photocatalyst for the photodegradation of pollution dyes. The Quantum Dots (QDs) size was controlled by adding TGA as a capping agent. The structure and properties of CdTe quantom dot were characteized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Photoluminescence (PL) and UV-Vis. The average size of CdTe quantum dot was found to be 2.8 nm. In this study, a cationic dye (i.e. Thionine) was chosen as a model molecule to investigate catalytic behavior of the prepared CdTe QDs as efficient nano-materials. The effect of dosage of QDs, pH, time and initial dye concentration on the degradation effeciency of dyes were studied. The possible mechanism of visible light photocatalytic degradation is also proposed.