In May 2026, Biomass & Bioenergy published the work of Prof. Zhang Liuxue's group at Zhongyuan University of Technology (first author: Song Zhiqi; DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2026.109572), turning waste badminton feathers into value-added photocatalysts.
Discarded badminton feathers were used as the carbon source for green synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQDs), converting biomass waste into a high-value carbon nanomaterial.
The CQDs were coupled with In2S3 to form a type-I heterojunction that broadens light absorption into the visible region and markedly suppresses photogenerated carrier recombination.
Under optimal conditions the photocatalytic H2O2 production rate reached 3532.79 uM g-1 h-1, 2.24 and 3.93 times that of pristine CQDs and In2S3, respectively. The composite also shows peroxidase-like activity and efficiently catalyzes TMB oxidation, extending its potential to nanozyme sensing applications.
The screening work used the Perfectlight PCX-50C Discover Multi-Channel Photocatalytic Reaction System, which provides multi-channel parallel reactions with a 9-position LED source covering UV to IR for reliable parallel screening.
Read the Chinese report: B&B: CQDs from waste feathers.
