Self-Luminous Wood Coatings with Carbon Dots/TiO[sub.2] Grafted Afterglow SrAl[sub.2]O[sub.4]: Eu, Dy Core-Shell Phosphors for Long-Lasting Formaldehyde Removal

Long-term relief of indoor volatile pollution has become a competitive issue worldwide in both visible and dark environments. A novel self-luminous wood coating with carbon dots (CDs)/titanium dioxide (TiO[sub.2]) nanomaterial coated SrAl[sub.2]O[sub.4]: Eu[sup.2+], Dy[sup.3+] (CDs/TiO[sub.2]@SAO) composite was prepared for the long-term degradation of formaldehyde through a simple sol-gel method. The microstructure, chemical composition, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra, and long-lasting fluorescence of the CDs/TiO[sub.2]@SAO photocatalyst were analyzed to illustrate the mechanism for degrading formaldehyde. The obtained CDs with a particle size of ~2-7 nm have a good graphite structure and presented good absorption in visible light. In addition, owing to the synergistic effect of the CDs/TiO[sub.2] nanomaterial coating layer and the long-afterglow luminescence of the SAO phosphor, the CDs/TiO[sub.2]@SAO composite can absorb a part of the visible light for photocatalytic degradation and store luminous energy efficiently at daytime so as to give out visible luminescence continuously for a few hours in the darkness. Furthermore, the functional wood coatings with CDs/TiO[sub.2]@SAO composite presented continuous and efficient photocatalytic activity in the presence and absence of light exposure. The current research could provide a new strategy for designing an efficient photocatalyst for degrading formaldehyde pollution in the daytime with a visible light supply and in an indoor dark environment without an external light source.