Photocatalytic technology is considered as one of the most attractive and promising technologies to directly harvest, convert and store renewable solar energy for generating sustainable and green energy and a broad range of environmental applications. However, the use of a photocatalyst in powder or coating forms restricts its applications due to its disadvantages, such as difficulty in recovery of nano-powder, secondary pollution, low adhesion between photocatalytic coating and substrate material, short service life of photocatalytic film and so on. The investigation and application of photocatalytic glass-ceramics (PGCs) in water purification, bacterial disinfection, self-cleaning and hydrogen evolution have received extensive attention due to their inherent advantages of low cost, easy fabrication, transparency, chemical and mechanical stability. Real-time solutions to energy shortage and environmental pollution faced by the development of human society can be provided by rationally designing the chemical composition and preparation methods of glass ceramics (GCs). This review introduces the concept and crystallization mechanism of PGCs and expounds on the basic mechanism of photocatalysis. Then, the key point difficulties of GCs’ design are discussed, mainly including the methods of obtaining transparency and controlling crystallization technologies. Different modification strategies to achieve better photocatalytic activity are highlighted. Finally, we look forward to further in-depth exploration and research on more efficient PGCs suitable for various applications.

Europium-doped bismuth vanadate EBVO-x (0 ≤ x ≤ 7) with different crystalline phases has been successfully synthesized via a simple one-pot hydrothermal method. X-ray diffractometry, Raman scattering and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the crystal phase transformed from the monoclinic phase to the tetragonal phase, probably owing to the substitution of europium ions in the Bi³⁺ positions. Significant changes in the physical–chemical characteristics of the material with the initial molar ratio of Eu to Bi were observed. Adding the europium causes alteration of the BiVO₄ structure from a monoclinic scheelite (x < 3) to a tetragonal zircon (x ≥ 3) structure with a mixed-phase state between them. The photocatalytic activities of the prepared samples were evaluated by degrading methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation and the best performance was attained for the EBVO-5 material with a phase transition trend. The results of the photoluminescence spectroscopy demonstrated that the recombination of photogenerated charges was greatly depressed and the photocatalytic activity was improved by the substitution of Eu for Bi in BiVO₄. Furthermore, the proposed mechanism of the enhanced photocatalytic activity was discussed.