Effect of Eu3+-doping on morphology and fluorescent properties of neodymium vanadate nanorod-arrays

Tetragonal structural (t-NdVO4) nanorod-arrays were fabricated by simple one-pot hydrothermal method. The phase, morphology and microstructure of NdVO4 were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques. t-NdVO4 nanorods are single-crystalline with a length of 100 nm and a diameter of 25 nm, which grow orientally along the direction of (112) crystalline plane and self-assemble to form nanorod-arrays. The results show that Eu3+-doping interrupts the formation of NdVO4 nanorod-arrays, and then leads to the red-shift of the strongest luminescence emission of Nd3+ transition from D-4(3/2) state to I-4(11/2) and decreases its intensity of the fluorescence emission at 400 nm sharply. The research results have some reference values to optimize the photoluminescence performance of rare earth vanadates.