Improvement of Photocatalytic Performance using Near-Infrared Upconversion Nanoparticles

Semiconductor-based photocatalysts can only be activated with ultraviolet or visible light due to their intrinsic bandgap, and they cannot use the energy in the near-infrared region, which accounts for about 50% of solar energy. Therefore, in order to improve the performance of the semiconductor photocatalyst, it is necessary to utilize more solar energy in a broad band ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared. Combining upconversion nanoparticles with semiconductor photocatalysts for near-infrared absorption have thus been reported. Upconversion nanoparticles can sequentially absorb multiple near-infrared photons and convert them into ultraviolet or visible to activate photocatalysts. In addition, by coupling the semiconductor photocatalyst and the upconversion nanoparticles with the plasmonic metal nanoparticles, the photocatalytic activity can be further improved. This review summarizes the recent studies on improving the photocatalytic performance with near-infrared absorption by using upconversion nanoparticles.