A new heterojunction photocatalyst ZrTi2O6/TiO2 was synthesized by a sol-gel method using ZrOCl2 8H(2)O and tetrabutyl titanate [Ti(OC4H9)(4)] as the raw materials The structure and optical properties of the ZrTi2O6/TiO2 photocatalyst were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) and UV-Vis diffuse reflection spectrum (DRS) The photocatalytic activity of the photocatalyst was evaluated by photocatalytic reduction of Cr2O72- and photocatalytic oxidation of methyl orange (MO) The production of hydroxyl radicals ( OH) during the photocatalytic process was detected by a photoluminescence (PL) technique using terephthalic acid as a probe molecule The results showed that photocatalytic activity of the ZrTi2O6/TiO2 photocatalyst (mole ratio of Zr/Ti is 1 1 heat treatment at 600 degrees C for 2 h) was higher than that of other samples and pure-TiO2 The heterojunction between ZrTi2O6 and TiO2 was confirmed by HR-TEM And the mechanism of the increased photocatalytic activity was also discussed (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserved