Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of NaYF4:(Yb,Er)-CuO/TiO2 Composite

TiO2 photocatalysts are limited to ultraviolet light photo-activation, however, by coupling with NaYF4:(Yb,Er) they can utilize visible light activation, but with low efficiencies. In order to enhance visible light photo-activity, CuO nanoparticles were coupled with NaYF4:(Yb,Er) by mechanical ball-milling and coated with TiO2-sol. The coupling of CuO nanoparticles with NaYF4:(Yb,Er)/TiO2 caused the formation of a NaYF4:(Yb,Er)-CuO/TiO2 composite capable of visible absorption with a remarkably reduced band gap of ~2.5 eV. The NaYF4:(Yb,Er)-CuO/TiO2 composite in H2O2 showed the most efficient methylene blue (MB) degradation efficiency of more than 99.5% after exposure to visible light.