Upconverter Er3+ doped beta-Bi2O3 nanosheets with selectively exposed reactive {0 0 1} facets as the main external surfaces were fabricated by a novel and simple approach for the first time. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The introduction of 0.8 wt% Er3+ significantly improved the photocatalytic activities of the beta-Bi2O3. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of beta-Bi2O3 nanosheets can be attributed to the exposed reactive {0 0 1} facets and the dopant Er3+. which can transform visible light into ultraviolet light. Both the acetic acid and alcohol contributed to the formation of nanosheets. This synthetic approach exhibited good versatility in fabricating other porous materials. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.