LAUSR

Abstract In this study, ternary photocatalysts were fabricated through integration of carbon dots (CDs) and polyaniline (PANI) with TiO2 nanoparticles by a facile route. The photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM, EDX, BET, XPS, FT-IR, UV–vis DRS, and PL instruments. Among the photocatalysts, the TiO2/CDs/PANI (20%) nanocomposite exhibited much higher photocatalytic performance for removal of RhB, MO, MB, and fuchsine in comparison with the TiO2, TiO2/CDs, and TiO2/PANI (20%) photocatalysts under visible light. The degradation rate constant of RhB by TiO2/CDs/PANI (20%) nanocomposite was 481 × 10−4 min−1, which is almost 36.5 and 2.6 times more than those of the TiO2 and TiO2/CDs photocatalysts, respectively. It was confirmed that O2− played predominant role in RhB degradation. Finally, the mechanism for enhanced photocatalytic activity was also discussed. The improved visible-light photocatalytic performance was related to substantial absorption of visible light, diminished recombination of the charge carriers, and enhanced specific surface area.