title: Efficient Upconverting Multiferroic Core@Shell Photocatalysts: Visible-to-Near-Infrared Photon Harvesting.
abstract: We report the two-step synthesis of a core@shell nanohybrid material for visible-to-near-infrared (NIR) photocatalysis. The core is constituted of NaGdF4:Er3+, Yb3+upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs). A bismuth ferrite (BFO) shell is assembled around the UCNPs via a hydrothermal process. The photocatalytic degradation assays of methylene orange and 4-chlorophenol reveal that these core@shell nanostructures possess remarkably enhanced reaction activity under visible and NIR irradiation, compared to the BFO powder alone and the BFO-UCNP mixture. Photo-charge scavenger tests and fluorescent assays indicate that hydroxyl radicals play a pivotal role in the photodegradation mechanism. The enhanced photoactivity of the core@shell structure is attributed to the NIR radiation which is converted into visible light by UCNPs, and which is then captured by BFO via a nonradiative luminescence resonance energy transfer process. Therefore, this core@shell architecture optimizes solar energy use by efficiently harvesting visible and NIR photons.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University , Zhenjiang 212013, China.
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique , 1650 Boul. Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2, Canada.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique , 1650 Boul. Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2, Canada.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique , 1650 Boul. Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2, Canada.|Institute for Fundamental and Frontier Science, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China , Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosei
authors.affiliation: Centre Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique , 1650 Boul. Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X 1S2, Canada.|Institute for Fundamental and Frontier Science, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China , Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Fiorenzo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vetrone
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Université de Sherbrooke , Sherbrooke, Quebec J1K 2R1, Canada.
authors.forename: Jerome P
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7363-1186
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Claverie
keywords: BiFeO3; energy transfer; nanoparticle; photocatalysis; upconversion