Abstract
Rare-earth upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs) with high water-dispersibility and surface functional groups are promising for bioimaging. In this paper, we reported a facile strategy for one-step synthesis of water-dispersible hydroxyl-functionalized NaYF4:Yb/Er UCNPs based on the solvothermal technique by using ricinoleic acid as ligand. TEM and XRD characterizations indicate that the synthesized UCNPs possess hexagonal phase structure and spherical shape with a mean diameter of 20nm. The UCNPs show excellent water-dispersibility and strong upconversion luminescence. Moreover, the presence of hydroxyl groups on the surface of NaYF4:Yb/Er allows for further modification as confirmed by the successful reaction with dodecanoyl chloride. Our strategy opens up opportunities to make full use of water-dispersible UCNPs in various applications because of their facile availability, cost-effective productivity and favorable surface functionality.
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