Luminescence properties of YVO4:Yb,Er nanoparticles dispersed in water

Abstract

We have synthesized YVO4: Yb, Er nanoparticles in the size range of 100-500 nm, which form aqueous colloidal solutions and are luminescent when excited by femtosecond light pulses at a wavelength of 263 nm. It was established that the luminescence occurs due to the emission of Er3+ ions in characteristic spectral lines at 525 nm and 550 nm. However, an effective quenching channel for metastable levels of Er3+ ions is evident, so that the characteristic luminescence line of Er3+ ions in the 660 nm region is absent. We associate this quenching channel with a large concentration of lattice defects with possible localization of high-frequency quenchers.