Preparation of nano-sized mixed crystal TiO2-coated Er3+:YAlO3 by sol-gel method for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes under visible light irradiation

In this work, an upconversion luminescence agent, crystallized Er3+:YAlO3, was synthesized and then coated by the nano-sized TiO2 film through sol-gel technique. A novel TiO2 photocatalyst, Er3+:YAlO3/TiO2, with high activity in visible light was subsequently prepared. The Er3+:YAlO3 and Er3+:YAlO3/TiO2 were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The photocatalytic activity of Er3+:YAlO3/TiO2 photocatalyst was tested by the degradation of acid red B in aqueous solution as the primary model compound under visible light irradiation. The experimental results proved that the prepared TiO2-coated crystallized Er3+:YAlO3 was able to decompose the acid red B efficiently, and it is promising to use the idea to develop new TiO2 photocatalyst with high activity for photocatalytic degradation under visible light.