Amino-mediated anchoring of FAPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots on silica spheres for efficient visible light photocatalytic NO removal

•FAPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots were first applied to NO photocatalytic field.•FAPbBr3 QDs/A-SiO2 nanocomposites were synthesized at room temperature.•The performance of the pristine material was improved, via amino-mediated anchoring.•The degradation efficiency of NO can reach up to 70% under visible light. The superior optical properties and adjustable bandgap allows for hybrid halide perovskite quantum dots to be promising photocatalytic materials, but the serious radiative recombination and instability inhibit the improvement of photocatalytic conversion efficiency. Herein, we successfully synthesized the FAPbBr3/A-SiO2 nanocomposites photocatalyst by anchoring formamidinium (FA+, HC(NH2)2+) lead halide perovskite quantum dots on aminated silica spheres to construct the composite photocatalysts via NH chemical bonding. The FAPbBr3/A-SiO2 composites show the significantly enhanced visible-light-driven NO removal activity (70%) compared to the pristine FAPbBr3 (30%) in half an hour at room temperature, revealing that the increased active sites and efficient charge carrier separation contribute to the absorption and activation of reactant molecules. This work would open the new possibilities for improving the photocatalytic ability of perovskite quantum dots.