An efficient and user-friendly method for the synthesis of hexagonal-phase NaYF₄:Yb, Er/Tm nanocrystals with controllable shape and upconversion fluorescence

Abstract

Hexagonal-phase NaYF(4):Yb, Er/Tm nanocrystals are the best IR-to-visible upconverting materials to date, but user-friendly methods for making pure hexagonal-phase NaYF(4):Yb, Er/Tm nanocrystals with upconversion fluorescence are still lacking. Most of the methods reported so far require excess fluoride reactants in a high-temperature reaction which are very unfriendly to users and raise safety concerns. In this work, an efficient and user-friendly method was developed for the synthesis of uniform hexagonal-phase NaYF(4):Yb, Er/Tm nanocrystals with upconversion fluorescence, by forming small solid-state crystal nuclei and further growth and ripening of the nuclei. NaYF(4):Yb, Er/Tm nanoplates, nanospheres and nanoellipses were also selectively produced by varying the concentration of the surfactant. All the nanocrystals showed strong upconversion fluorescence, and fluorescence from the nanoplates was observed even when the laser power density was reduced to about 50 mW cm(-2). These nanocrystals have great potential for use in biology and medicine as fluorescent labels or imaging probes.