Hydrothermal synthesis and luminescence properties of multiform lanthanide ions doped YVO4 architectures

YVO4 flowerlike architectures with well-aligned microneedles and urchin-like architectures with nanorods have been synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method in the presence of disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetate (Na2H2L). The morphology of the YVO4 flowerlike architectures can be easily controlled by adjusting the pH value of the reaction system. Proper reaction temperature and the basic source ammonia are key requirements for the fabrication of the flowerlike architectures. The additive Na2H2L can coordinate with metal ions to form strong complexes and be absorbed on specific crystal surfaces of the initial colloidal precipitates, which serve as seeds for the anisotropic growth. The formation mechanism for the YVO4 assemblies has been discussed on the basis of time-dependent experiments. YVO4:Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Dy and Sm) phosphors preserved the architecture morphologies show strong light emissions with different colors coming from different activated ions under ultraviolet excitation.