Fabrication and characterization of transparent monolithic nanocomposites between YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanophosphor and TMAS-derived silica

• Nanocomposites between YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanoparticles and silica are fabricated.
• Aqueous solution of tetramethylammonium silicate is chosen as silica source.
• Nanoparticles of ∼5 nm in size are well-dispersed in silica.
• Nanocomposites are transparent and emit red light under near-UV light excitation.
• Photoluminescence intensity is proportional to optical density.

We fabricate monolithic nanocomposites of silica containing YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanoparticles, which are synthesized by co-precipitation method via a citrate precursor. A basic aqueous solution of tetramethylammonium silicate is chosen as a silica source, since the YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanoparticles can be well-dispersed in this solution. The fabricated nanocomposites are transparent to the naked eye under white light and emit red light under near-UV light excitation through an interband transition of the nanoparticles followed by energy transfer to Eu3+. The net optical density at 365.0 nm for the nanocomposite is proportional to its thickness. Furthermore, its net photoluminescence intensity at 619.5 nm is proportional to the net optical density. Both proportional relationships are attributed to negligibly low light scattering intensity of the nanoparticles because of their well-dispersion in silica.