Synthesis and enhanced luminescence of uniform and well-dispersed quasispherical YVO4:Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Dy) nanoparticles by a solvothermal method

Uniform and well-dispersed quasi-spherical YVO4:Ln(3+) (Ln Eu, Dy) nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized through a solvothermal approach using EG and PVP as solvent and surfactant, respectively. SEM and TEM images indicate that the as-obtained quasispheres are composed of tiny packed nanocrystallites. The YVO4:Eu3+ and YVO4:Dy3+ samples show strong red and yellow light emissions under ultraviolet excitation. The luminescence intensities of the phosphors are greatly enhanced by co-doping Ba2+ ions into the YVO4 host lattice. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements reveals that the as-synthesized luminescent quasi-spherical nanoparticles have a porous structure, which might find potential applications in the fields of luminescence, drug delivery, and disease therapy.