▎ 摘　　要

In this paper, we have introduced a novel property of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as efficient nanomaterials for degradation of organic pollutant dyes based on the photocatalytic behavior of GQDs under visible light irradiation. GQD samples were synthesized directly through pyrolyzing citric acid method. The synthesized GQDs were characterized by various techniques including colorimetry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and UV-vis absorption, Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and zeta potential measurements. In this study, a cationic dye (i.e., New Fuchsin) was chosen as a model molecule to investigate catalytic behavior of the prepared GQDs as green nanomaterials. The influence of experimental parameters such as pH of the dye solution, contacting time, dosage of GQDs, and initial concentration of NF dye on the degradation efficiency of GQD were studied. The possible mechanisms of degradation of NF based on GQDs under visible light were discussed, too. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.