A novel synthesis of YVO4:Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Sm, and Dy) porous/hollow submicro-ellipsoids and their luminescence properties

Abstract

The facile and green synthesis of novel structured inorganic micro/nanocrystals is prospective in the field of functional materials. Herein, uniform porous/hollow YVO₄ submicro-ellipsoids were developed via a surfactant-free and one-pot aqueous-based strategy using Y₂(OH)₅NO₃·nH₂O (LYH) as a precursor. We propose a possible morphological evolution mechanism related to quick assembly, followed by the Ostwald ripening process based on a series of time-dependent investigations. Besides, we propose a possible transformation process from LYH to YVO₄ on the basis of the high structural matching between [001]LYH and [110]YVO₄. Furthermore, we found that the successful synthesis of porous/hollow YVO₄ ellipsoids remarkably depended on the precise tuning of the reaction parameters (reaction temperature, pH value, and Na⁺ concentration). In addition, multicolor down-conversion emissions were realized via lanthanide ion (Ln³⁺: Eu³⁺, Sm³⁺, and Dy³⁺) doping. The as-synthesized porous/hollow products may be ideal candidates for bio-/energy-related applications.