Broadening the Photoluminescence Excitation Spectral Bandwidth of YVO4:Eu3+ Nanoparticles via a Novel Core-Shell and Hybridization Approach

For many optoelectronic applications, it is desirable for the lanthanide-doped phosphors to have broad excitation spectrum. The excitation mechanism of the lanthanide-doped YVO4, a high quantum efficient lasing material, primarily originates from the energy transfer process from the host VO43− complexes to the lanthanide ions, which has an excitation spectral bandwidth range of 230–330 nm. For applications in silicon solar cells, such phosphors can convert ultraviolet light to visible light for more efficient power generation, but this spectral range is still not broad enough to cover the entire ultraviolet spectrum of solar light. In this work, a novel core-shell and inorganic–organic hybridization strategy has been employed to fabricate Eu3+-doped YVO4 nanoparticles to broaden their photoluminescence excitation spectral bandwidth to the range of 230–415 nm, covering the entire ultraviolet spectrum of solar light and enabling their potential applications in silicon solar cells.