Er3+ doped bismuth oxychloride hierarchical microspheres with enhanced photocatalytic properties

• Er doped BiOCl hierarchical microspheres are synthesized using a facile solvothermal method.
• The presence of Er3+ improves the photocatalytic activity for RhB degradation.
• A mechanism based on the upconversion effect of Er3+ is proposed.
• The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the dopant.

Er3+ doped BiOCl hierarchical microspheres were synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, UV–vis and DRS were performed to investigate the structural and optical properties of the as-prepared samples. The presence of Er3+ did not affect the structure and morphology of the BiOCl. The Er3+ doped BiOCl microspheres exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light (λ>420 nm) irradiation. The sample with 1.0 mol% Er3+ dosage showed the best photocatalytic performance. The enhanced activity was attributed to the dopant which could transform visible light into ultraviolet light. This work demonstrated the great feasibility of utilizing upconversion (UC) technique to enhance visible light photocatalysis.

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