A facile strategy to prepare YVO4:Eu3+ colloid with novel nanostructure for enhanced optical performance

Hollow nanocrystals have received intensive attention because of their attractive optical properties, chemical and thermal stability. Here a YVO4:Eu3+ colloid with a fascinating nanostructure was formed through a facile self-sacrifice template method using the low-cost yttrium nitrate and ammonium metavanadate as raw materials without any organic additives. The chemical composition, morphology, and optical properties of the samples were analyzed by XRD, TEM, BET, FT-IR, EPR, and PL. As observed by TEM and time-resolved experiments, the YVO4:Eu3+ nanoclusters were in situ constructed by the rapid agglomeration of nuclei, which acted as self-sacrifice templates for the hollow YVO4:Eu(3+ )nanocrystals. Furthermore, the formation mechanism was discussed in detail. The results showed that these novel hollow nanocrystals showed superior optical properties (Le., luminescence intensity, fluorescence lifetime, and quantum yield) to those of solid nanoparticles and self-assembled architectures, respectively. The findings of this study could provide new insights into the understanding of photon down-conversion rare-earth oxide materials with novel nanostructure and offer an opportunity for pursuing red emitting nanophosphors with enhanced optical performance. Moreover, the strong red emission from YVO4:Eu3+ phosphors with novel nanostructure could lead to potential applications in white light-emitting diodes (LEDs).