One-pot synthesis of hollow structured upconversion luminescent β-NaYF4:Yb0.2Er0.02 nanoparticles

Monodisperse, uniform, and hollow structured hexagonal sodium yttrium fluoride nanoparticles co-doped with Yb 3+ and Er 3+ (NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Er 3+ ) were successfully prepared by a facile one-pot thermal decomposition route. The crystal structure, morphology and upconversion spectra of the sample were investigated using X-ray powder diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, and fluorescence spectrophotometer with an external 980 nm single-wavelength diode laser. The synthesized nanoparticles were easily dispersed in nonpolar solvents, showed an extremely narrow particle distribution, and were determined to have a diameter about (14.3)±(1.1) nm. Moreover, the nanoparticles were dispersed in water via modification of the capping oleic acid ligand by HCl. To the synthesis of such monidisperse, water-soluble, hollow structured lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles may lead to potential applications in drug delivery and bioimaging.