A VDyOx (V2O5/DyVO4) composite photocatalyst was prepared using a simple solution method. The powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, Raman spectroscopy (Raman), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Visible light-induced photocatalytic activities of the powders were evaluated by the degradation of acetone. Results generally show that the binary semiconductors V2O5/DyVO4 with matching band potentials exhibit better photocatalytic properties compared with those of the single phase V2O5 or DyVO4. An acetone conversion of 91.6% was achieved over V1.5Dy1Ox composite photocatalyst under visible light irradiation. Effective electron-hole separation in the two semiconductors is believed to be mainly responsible for the increased photocatalytic performance of composites. The performance of the VDyOx composite catalyst can be further improved by loading a small amount of Pt. In addition, the Pt doped V1.5Dy1Ox catalyst was also proven to be efficient in the photodegradation of 2-propanol and benzene. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.