Improvement of the photostability for YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanoparticles synthesized by the citrate route

YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanophosphor synthesized by the citrate route shows the photobleaching behavior, i.e., the decrease in photoluminescence intensity under the continuous irradiation of excitation light. This photobleaching property is remarkably suppressed by the washing post-treatment combined with centrifugation and the hydrothermal post-treatment. A relation between the fraction of photobleach and the amount of citrate ions coordinating to metallic ions at the surface of nanoparticles verifies that the photobleaching behavior of YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanophosphor originates from the redox reaction between the citrate ions and V5+ in YVO4 host crystal. The long-term light fastness test reveals that the hydrothermally treated YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanophosphor has sufficient photostability for practical use over 15 years outside.