Synthesis and characteristic research of nanoparticles KY3F10: Yb, RE (RE=Er, Ho, Tm) by thermal decomposition

Abstract

Organic dyes and quantum dots possess the defects: wide emission spectrum and the poor photothermal stability and cytotoxicity, which restricts their applications in biological studies. Lanthanide-doped upconversion fluorescent materials in which there exists neither autofluorescence nor light bleaching phenomenon, has high sensitivity and good long-term stability, which are conducive to in vivo detection. KY3F10: Yb, RE(RE=Er, Ho, Tm) nanocrystals are synthesized by the thermal decomposition method and oleic acid as surface coating agent. The effects of the oleic acid content on morphology and particle size are studied. Optimal ratio of oleic acid to octadecene is 3:1 for the preparation of spherical monodisperse nanocrystals. Strong yellow green, green and blue emissions from the prepared samples are observed at 980 nm laser excitation. These results show that KY3F10: Yb, RE (RE=Er, Ho, Tm) nanoparticles as biological probes have excellent features in multiple fluorescent markers.