Photoluminescence of europium-doped and europium/strontium-codoped sol–gel-prepared yttrium vanadate nanoparticles

Europium (Eu3+)-doped yttrium vanadate (YVO4) has been widely used in many fields due to its excellent photoluminescence properties. In this work, the sol–gel method was employed to synthesize Eu3+-doped and europium/strontium (Eu3+,Sr2+)-codoped YVO4 nanoparticles. After the synthesis, these Eu3+-doped and Eu3+,Sr2+-codoped YVO4 nanoparticles were post-annealed at different temperatures. The effect of post-annealing temperature on their microstructural characteristics and photoluminescence properties was studied. Higher post-annealing temperature led to a strong enhancement in their photoluminescence. The grain size of these nanoparticles grew with the post-annealing temperature. It was found that Sr2+ doping greatly enhanced the photoluminescence properties of the Eu3+ doped YVO4 nanoparticles. An optimal doping concentration of Sr2+ ions has been determined for the Eu3+ doped YVO4 nanoparticles, and the photoluminescence emission intensity was found to increase by 238%.