Hydrothermal Synthesis of β-NaYF4:Yb, Er Nanocrystals with Upconversion Fluorescence Using Tetraethylene Pentamine as Chelating Ligand

Novel chelating ligands are very significant for preparing nanocrystals with different morphologies and applications. In this paper, we directly introduced amine groups onto UCNPs by choosing a new chelating ligand tetraethylene pentamine (TEPA) to synthesis NaYF4:Yb, Er through hydrothermal method. The influences of rare earth concentration, the ratio of RE/TEPA, solvent composition, and reaction time on the morphology and fluorescence intensity of the as-prepared NaYF4:Yb, Er samples were systematically investigated and discussed. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and upconversion luminescence spectroscopy were used to characterize the product. It was found that rare earth concentration, ratio of RE/TEPA, solvent composition, and reaction time were all responsible for the luminescent intensity and morphology.