Preparation of a novel nanocomposite NaLuF 4 :Gd,Yb,Tm@SiO 2 @Ag@TiO 2 with high photocatalytic activity driven by simulated solar light

• Published in: Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry 2016, Vol.45 (4), p.1467-1475
• Main Authors: Yin, Dongguang, Zhang, Lu, Cao, Xianzhang, Chen, Zhiwen, Tang, Jingxiu, Liu, Yumin, Zhang, Tingting, Wu, Minghong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1477-9226; 1477-9234
• DOI: 10.1039/C5DT02747K

A novel nanocomposite photocatalyst NaLuF 4 :Gd,Yb,Tm@SiO 2 @Ag@TiO 2 was developed for the first time. This composite material has a sandwich structure, including a NaLuF 4 :Gd,Yb,Tm upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) core, a media shell of amorphous SiO 2 decorated with Ag nanoparticles, and an outer shell of anatase TiO 2 . The designed new structure takes advantage of the synergetic effect of UCNCs, Ag nanoparticles and TiO 2 . The UCNCs absorb near-infrared (NIR) light and transfer energy to TiO 2 , which extends the light responsive range of TiO 2 to the NIR region. Ag nanoparticles not only enhance upconversion luminescence of the UCNCs but also enhance light harvesting and improve charge separation of TiO 2 . The results of photocatalytic applications show that the as-prepared catalyst has high photocatalytic activity. This study provides new insights into the fabrication of TiO 2 -based nanocomposite photocatalysts with high catalytic efficiency through effective integration of upconversion material, noble metal and TiO 2 into a hetero-composite nanostructure.