Heterogeneous Semiconductor Shells Sequentially Coated on Upconversion Nanoplates for NIR-Light Enhanced Photocatalysis.
Combination of upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs) with CeO2is a decent choice to construct NIR-activated photocatalysts for utilizing the NIR light in the solar spectrum. Herein we present a facile approach to deposit a CeO2layer with controllable thickness on the plate-shaped NaYF4:Yb,Tm UCNs. The developed core-shell nanocomposites display obvious photocatalytic activity under the NIR light and exhibit enhanced activity under the full solar spectrum. For enhancing the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes on the CeO2surface, we sequentially coat a ZnO shell on the nanocomposites so as to form a heterojunction structure for achieving a better activity. The developed hybrid photocatalysts have been characterized with TEM, SEM, PL, etc., and the working mechanism of such UCN-semiconductor heterojunction photocatalysts has been proposed.
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University , Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P. R. China.
Cao
C
Cui
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University , Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P. R. China.
Meijie
M
Tou
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University , Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P. R. China.
Mohua
M
Li
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University , Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P. R. China.
Zhenguo
Z
Luo
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University , Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P. R. China.
Lingbo
L
Xiao
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University , Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P. R. China.
Song
S
Bai
Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University , Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, P. R. China.
Zhengquan
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0084-5113
Z
Li