Improved luminescence of lanthanide(III)-doped nanophosphors by linear aggregation

The studies and applications of nanophosphors are considerably important, but unfortunately, their luminescence is always rather poor. Here, we report that the oriented aggregation of nanophosphors can significantly enhance their luminescent emissions at the nanoscale. LnPO4 (Ln = La, Ce, and Tb) is extensively used in luminescent lighting industry, but the total quantum yield of synthesized individual ∼20 nm La0.60Ce0.26Tb0.14PO4 particles is only ∼21%. This value is improved up to ∼80% when five to seven of these nanophosphors are linearly aggregated to form an oriented structure. The luminescence intensities of these linear aggregates of nanophosphors increase correspondingly. It is suggested that one-dimensional nanoaggregation plays an essential role in this luminescence improvement, which might be a useful strategy in the application of nanophosphors.