Morphology control and tunable color of LuVO4:Ln3+ (Ln = Tm, Er, Sm, Eu) nano/micro-structures

Abstract

LuVO₄:Eu³⁺ nano/microcrystals with different morphologies/sizes including nanoparticles, nanosheets, nanodisks, nanoquadrangles, sub-microflakes, microspheres, and bulks were successfully synthesized by a mild solvothermal process using tartaric acid (TA) as the template. The amount of tartaric acid (TA) and the initial pH value play vital roles in controlling the morphologies of LuVO₄ products. Besides, the reaction temperature was responsible for the generation of pure LuVO₄ crystals in the presence of TA. Based on this, the possible formation mechanism of multi-morphologies was proposed. Furthermore, the dependence of luminescence performance on morphology has been discussed in detail. The LuVO₄:Ln³⁺ (Ln = Tm³⁺, Er³⁺, Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺) nanoparticles show the characterized transition of Ln³⁺ and give bright blue, green, orange-red and red emission. Moreover, blue-green, green-yellow, pink, yellow-pink and white light can be obtained by adjusting the amount of doped Ln³⁺ ions and the corresponding concentrations of the LuVO₄ host. This general and simple method may be of much significance in the synthesis of many other rare earth inorganic materials.