The systematic experiments of photocatalytic degradation of NO gas were carried out by using novel composites containing TiO2-xNy loaded on a long afterglow phosphor, CaAl2O4:(Eu,Nd). The composites were prepared in a sequence of procedures, which involved reactions of TiCl3 and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) mixed solution at 190 degrees C for 2 h to precipitate nano-size TiO2-xNy particles, followed by mixing the TiO2-xNy with a micro-size CaAl2O4:(Eu,Nd) particles by a soft planetary ball milling to yield CaAl2O4:(Eu,Nd)/TiO2-xNy composites. Photocatalytic degradation of NO was monitored both under UV light irradiation and in the dark after turning off the light. The composite displayed excellent photocatalytic activity under UV-light irradiation as well as persistent activity after turning off light. A promising strategy involves coupling of visible light responsive photocatalyst with long afterglow phosphor was established. It is a new concept for the photocatalyst synthesis implying a possibility of a novel persistent active photocatalytic system. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.