Enhancement of quantum yield of LaPO4: Ce3+: Tb3+ nanocrystals by carbon nanotube induced suppression of the 1-dimensional growth.

Doped lanthanum phosphate nanocrystals are a class of fluorescent material of enormous interest, presenting an unusual dichotomy on the nanoscale. The quantum yields of these crystals drops significantly in the nanoscale when compared with the corresponding bulk yields. Herein we show that the suppression of their thermodynamically favored 1-D growth in the nanoscale results in an increase in the quantum yield. This is possible by inducing heterogeneous nucleation of the crystals on the surface of single walled carbon nanotubes. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011