Crystal filament blended m-Bi(Er³⁺-Yb³⁺)VO₄ fibers with temperature feedback and high-efficiency photocatalysis performance

Bi(Er³⁺-Yb³⁺)VO₄ fibers prepared by the iterative electrospinning process have excellent crystal filament compatibility. Compared with traditional photocatalytic materials, fibers in our work are admirable in some aspects including large specific surface area, strong three-dimensional weaving capacity, high solar energy utilization rate, high reproducibility, and controllable structure. The working temperature of the catalytic degradation process is monitored and fed back in real time by ²H_11/2 →⁴I_15/2 and ⁴S_3/2 →⁴I_15/2 radiation transitions of Er³⁺ with excellent sensitivity. Photocatalytic efficiency is greatly improved by broadening the photoresponse range of BiVO₄ and inhibiting the recombination of photo-generated charges, which is attributable to the successful incorporation of rare earth ions. The maximum degradation efficiency of methylene blue (MB) is 98.7% and the degradation constant K is as high as 0.116 min⁻¹ under simulated sun-light irradiation and it also has the same degradation trend under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation. In general, highly efficient catalytic fibers with sensitive temperature feedback performance provide a new perspective for the application of multifunctional photocatalytic materials in extremely harsh environments to address pressing energy and environmental challenges. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.