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Monodisperse and water-soluble lanthanide (Ln3+)-doped Y(Gd)VO4 nanocrystals (NCs) have been successfully synthesized by a fast, facile, and environmentally friendly microwave-assisted route with poly(acrylic acid) as the surfactant. The Y(Gd)VO4:5 %Ln3+ (Ln = Eu, Dy, Sm) NCs have unique fluorescence properties and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based white solid nanocomposites containing YVO4:5 %Eu3+ NCs show red emission upon UV irradiation. GdVO4 NCs can act as CT and MRI contrast agents as a result of their magnetic and X-ray absorption properties. A layer of SiO2 was coated onto the surfaces of the nanoparticles and MTT assays were carried out to test the cytotoxicity of the YVO4@SiO2 and GdVO4 NCs. The results indicate that the Y(Gd)VO4 NCs have potential in multimodal optical/MRI/CT bio-imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly crystalline and uniform TiO2:Eu3+ spindlelike nanorods have been successfully synthesized through a facile hydrothermal route with citric acid (H3Cit) and ethanediamine (en) as the assistant agents for the first time. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were utilized to characterize the samples. In the synthetic process, the dosages of ethanediamine and citric acid are important parameters that affect the morphology and size of the final products. A possible formation process of the samples has been proposed in detail. The existence of Eu3+ sites in the TiO2 nanorods was proved by site-selective spectroscopy. Furthermore, the TiO2:Eu3+ spindlelike nanorods exhibit bright red (Eu3+, 5D0→7F2) luminescence under ultraviolet (UV) excitation; therefore, they may find potential applications in fluorescent lamps and field-emission displays (FEDs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]