Morphology and upconversion luminescence of NaYbF4:Tm3+ nanocrystals modified by Gd3+ ions

Abstract Hexagonal Tm 3+ and Gd 3+ doped NaYbF 4 nanodisks and nanorods were synthesized through the hydrothermal approach. The dissolution–reconstruction mechanism plays an important role in the growth progress. With the introduction of Gd 3+ ions, the morphological shapes of NaYbF 4 were modified to be uniform. Under 980 nm excitation, the Tm 3+ ions doped into NaYbF 4 samples emitted ultraviolet fluorescence 288 nm ( 1 I 6  →  3 H 6 ), 344 nm ( 1 I 6  →  3 F 4 ), 360 nm ( 1 D 2  →  3 H 6 ) and blue fluorescence 450 nm ( 1 D 2  →  3 F 4 ), 473 nm ( 1 G 4  →  3 H 6 ), which were modified and enhanced by Gd 3+ ions. We reported a new method to modify simultaneously morphology and luminescence of the Tm 3+ -doped NaYbF 4 by introducing Gd 3+ ions.