Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of YVO4:Yb3+,Er3+ microspheres

In this paper, YVO 4 :Yb 3+ ,Er 3+ microspheres have been successfully prepared through a facile hydrothermal method assisted with disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and citric acid. X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy , energy disperse X-ray spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy , and photoluminescence spectra were used to characterize the samples. The results reveal that the as-prepared YVO 4 :Yb 3+ ,Er 3+ samples are well-crystallized and spherical in shape. Moreover, the microspheres with diameters of 6–8   μm are assembled by numerous submicron cuboids. Under the excitation of a 980   nm laser diode , the samples show the characteristic emissions of Er 3+ and the green emissions at 525   nm of 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 are dominantly strong.