Strong stokes and upconversion luminescence from ultrasmall Ln(3+)-doped BiF3 (Ln=Eu3+, Yb3+/Er3+) nanoparticles confined in a polymer matrix.

Heavy metal fluorides like BiF3 as a host for lanthanide ions are of interest as bismuth is the only heavy metal that is nontoxic. In this work, we report the synthesis of highly water-dispersible ultrasmall BiF3 nanoparticles about 6 nm in size within a poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) matrix by a hydrothermal method. Microscopy analysis reveals that the nanoparticles are well separated and confined within the polymer network. These nanoparticles were found to be excellent hosts for lanthanide (Ln(3+)) ions. Through suitable Ln(3+) doping, BiF3 exhibits strong emissions in the visible region upon both UV and near infrared (NIR) excitations. The non-toxicity of both bismuth and PVP can be advantageous for the potential use of BiF3 nanoparticles in drug delivery and bioimaging.