Preparation and characterization of SiO2–Al2O3–Na2O–LaF3 upconversion glass-ceramic and its enhancing effect on the performance of photocatalyst

SiO2–Al2O3–Na2O–LaF3 glass-ceramic was prepared by high-temperature melting method and two-step heat treatment schedule. The upconversion performance was obtained under the effect of Yb and Tm. The optimal doping concentration ratio and the photoluminescence mechanism was analyzed. By introducing K+ and Li+ into the system, further optimization of upconversion performance was achieved. To investigate its impact on the efficiency of photocatalysts, glass-ceramic was mixed with photocatalysts to conduct photocatalytic degradation tests. The degradation efficiency of the mixture increased by 22 % compared to the group with only photocatalysts under near-infrared light, and this rate increased by 5.7 % under full spectrum. The first-order kinetic equation was used to fit the degradation rate for kinetic analysis, compared with the k values under near-infrared light, photocatalyst/glass-ceramic (k = 0.0035) > photocatalyst (k = 0.0006), and photocatalyst/glass-ceramic (k = 0.0135) > photocatalyst (k = 0.0124) under full spectrum.