Preparation and photoluminescence properties of hexagonal mesoporous YVO4:Eu3+ ellipsoids

• Ellipsoidal mesoporous SBA-15 silica with a tunable aspect ratio were synthesized.
• Mesoporous YVO4:Eu3+ ellipsoids were synthesized by nanocasting route with SBA-15.
• Mesoporous YVO4:5%Eu3+ ellipsoids exhibit strongest red emission excited by UV light.
• This meso-ellipsoidal luminescent material can be potentially used as biological probes.

The mesoporous luminescent materials with streamline shape (as ellipsoids) as biological probes can be importantly and potentially used in biology and medicine fields. The ellipsoidal mesoporous SBA-15 silica with a tunable aspect ratio were synthesized by changing the ethanol amount in the synthesis solution. Hexagonal ordered mesoporous Eu3+-doped yttrium vanadate (YVO4:Eu3+) ellipsoids were successfully synthesized through the nanocasting route with a Y(NO3)3/Eu(NO3)3/NH4VO3/HNO3/ethanol solution as a guest unit and mesoporous SBA-15 silica ellipsoids as the hard template host, and characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, low-temperature N2 adsorption and photo-luminescence (PL) spectra. The prepared mesoporous YVO4:Eu3+ ellipsoids possess larger surface area and pore volume, uniform pore size, and exhibits strong red emission at 618 nm excited by UV light. When the concentration of Eu3+ dopant is 5 mol.% (Y/Eu = 95/5), the highest PL intensity can be reached.

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