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Abstract
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The photocatalytic application of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) is restricted by the charge carriers recombination
and tendency to aggregate in suspended systems. Novel functionalized CdTe (F-CdTe) QDs and
CoNiAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocomposite have been prepared to utilize the unique advantages
of CdTe QDs. The nanocomposite is prepared via in situ synthesis of LDH in the presence of asprepared
F-CdTe QDs where the QDs partially intercalated in the interlayer spaces of LDHs. As a result of the
effective electronic coupling between F-CdTe QDs and CoNiAl LDH, the light-harvesting ability has been
enhanced and the absorption edge expands toward the higher visible light wavelengths. Moreover, the
charge carriers recombination in nanocomposite has been considerably suppressed compared to the pristine
CoNiAl LDH and F-CdTe QDs. Also, the nanocomposite shows remarkable enhancing in photocatalytic
degradation of Acid Red 14 (AR14) and Bisphenol A (BPA) as the sample pollutants. The photogenerated
holes and hydroxyl radicals have a determining role in the degradation of AR14. The plausible mechanism is
proposed based on the experimental results and theoretical calculations. The prepared nanocomposite
represents superior photocatalytic activity after 5 consecutive runs. So, the CdTe QDs can be effectively
utilized in photocatalytic applications through the proposed promising approach.
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