Multicolor light emission of GdVO4:Ln3+ nanorods by a single-wavelength excitation

Highly dispersed Ln(3+)-doped GdVO4 nanorods were prepared via a hydrothermal method with the assistance of EDTA and CTAB. By systematic structural and property characterization using X-ray diffraction, transition electron microscope, selected area electron diffraction, infrared spectra, and photoluminescence, it is indicated that the as-prepared GdVO4 nanocrystals showed a rod-like shape with an average diameter of about 7 nm and length of 30-50 nm. Under a single-wavelength excitation at 320 nm, GdVO4 nanocrystals doped with Dy3+, Sm3+, and Eu3+ gave surprising multicolor emissions in the visible region, while no blue component at 430 nm from un-doped GdVO4 nanocrystals was seen. This observation was interpreted in terms of the effective energy transfer process between [V4+]A center and lanthanide ions.