Tunable Photoluminescence of Polyvinyl Alcohol Electrospun Nanofibers by Doping of NaYF4: Eu+3 Nanophosphor

Abstract

NaYF4: Eu+3 nanophosphor/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite nanofibers have been successfully fabricated using the electrospinning technique. The electrospun polymeric nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), and Raman spectroscopy. The flexible polymeric mats exhibited strong red emission at 724 nm at excitation wavelength of 239 nm. 5% concentration of NaYF4: Eu+3 nanophosphor are embedded homogenously inside the PVA matrix. The strong red emission peak attributed to the presence of Eu+3 ions. The characterization of the mats confirmed the uniform dispersion and tunable photoluminescence properties. These photoluminescent nanofibers (PLNs) could be easily fabricated and potentially useful in solid-state lighting applications.