Issue 35, 2021

Refine the crystallinity of upconversion nanoparticles for NIR-enhanced photocatalysis

Abstract

A new photocatalyst was synthesized by a combination of the upconversion nanoparticle NaYF4:Yb, Tm, Gd (NYTG) and NH2-MIL-101(Cr) (NMC) to form NYTG/NMC. The heterostructure exhibited great stability and excellent photocatalytic activity through utilization of the wide spectrum from the near-infrared (NIR) to the UV-vis range. Compared with NMC, the photocatalytic performance was increased by 22% for rhodamine B (RhB) with the most suitable amount of Gd3+ ions and the ratio between NYTG and NMC. This could be attributed to the doped Gd3+ ions refining the crystallinity and hexagonal phase of NaYF4 by replacing the Y3+ ions, leading to an enhanced emission intensity along with an increased number of emitted peaks in the UV-vis region. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of NYTG/NMC was also related to the synergistic effects of the individual components, which facilitate the separation of electrons and holes. On the basis of scavenging experiments, the possible mechanism for photocatalytic degradation is proposed to uncover more clues for the further designs of new photocatalysts. This work suggests a pathway to enhance the emission intensity by refining the structure rather than by developing a core–shell structure.

Graphical abstract: Refine the crystallinity of upconversion nanoparticles for NIR-enhanced photocatalysis

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
25 Apr. 2021
Accepted
16 Jūl. 2021
First published
27 Jūl. 2021

CrystEngComm, 2021,23, 6117-6127

Refine the crystallinity of upconversion nanoparticles for NIR-enhanced photocatalysis

J. Jiang, H. Ren, F. Huang, L. Wang and J. Zhang, CrystEngComm, 2021, 23, 6117 DOI: 10.1039/D1CE00550B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements