Preparation and improved photocatalytic activities of Ho3+/Yb3+ co-doped Bi2MoO6

Ho3+/Yb3+ co-doped Bi2MoO6 (Ho3+/Yb3+-Bi2MoO6) photocatalyst has been prepared via coprecipitation method followed by an annealing process. The as-synthesized powder exhibits spherical and sheet structure with size of 200 nm-300 nm. Then the photocatalyst was applied to degrade rhodamine (RhB) to measure its photocatalytic activies under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm). From the results, Ho3+/Yb3+-Bi2MoO6 showed higher photocatalytic efficiency (96.48%) than that (79.70%) of bare Bi2MoO6 within 25min. Besides, the photocatalytic activity of the sample keeps well after three photodegradation cycles. This work provides a great way to synthesize photocatalyst with high photocatalytic activity. •The photocatalyst Ho3+/Yb3+-Bi2MoO6 was synthesized successfully.•Ho3+/Yb3+-Bi2MoO6 showed improved photocatalytic efficiency by degrading RhB.•This study provides a great way to obtain stable photocatalyst.