NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4 Core/Shell Nanocrystals with High Upconversion Luminescence Quantum Yield

Upconversion core/shell nanocrystals with different mean sizes ranging from 15 to 45nm were prepared via a modified synthesis procedure based on anhydrous rare-earth acetates. All particles consist of a core of NaYF4:Yb,Er, doped with 18% Yb3+ and 2% Er3+, and an inert shell of NaYF4, with the shell thickness being equal to the radius of the core particle. Absolute measurements of the photoluminescence quantum yield at a series of different excitation power densities show that the quantum yield of 45nm core/shell particles is already very close to the quantum yield of microcrystalline upconversion phosphor powder. Smaller core/shell particles prepared by the same method show only a moderate decrease in quantum yield. The quantum yield of 15nm core/shell particles, for instance, is reduced by a factor of three compared to the bulk upconversion phosphor at high power densities (100Wcm(-2)) and by approximately a factor of 10 at low power densities (1Wcm(-2)).