White light emitting YVO4:Eu3+,Tm3+,Dy3+ nanometer- and submicrometer-sized particles prepared by an ion exchange method

White light emitting YVO4:Eu3+,Tm3+,Dy3+ nanometer- and submicrometer-sized particles were successfully prepared using an ion exchange method. Undoped YVO4 nanoparticles were firstly synthesized by a solvothermal method, and Eu3+, Tm3+, and Dy3+ doping ions were then ion exchanged into these undoped YVO4 nanoparticles to form the Eu3+,Dy3+,Tm3+-codoped YVO4 nanoparticles. After thermal annealing, the Eu3+,Dy3+,Tm3+-codoped YVO4 particles showed strong luminescence. The Eu3+, Dy3+, and Tm3+ dopants emitted red, blue, and green lights, respectively. The doping concentrations of the Eu3+, Dy3+, and Tm3+ dopants were optimized for white light emission. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to characterize and analyze the white light emitting YVO4:Eu3+,Tm3+,Dy3+ nanometer- and submicrometer-sized particles.