Crystalline LiYF$_4$:Nd$^{3+}$ nanoparticles synthesized via laser ablation method in water solutions of ethanol

In this work, a set of crystalline LiYF$_4$:Nd$^{3+}$ nanoparticles with an average size of about 35 nm, were successfully synthesized via laser ablation method in liquid (combination of ethanol and water). The samples have trigonal structure corresponding to LiYF$_4$ host. The spectral and kinetic characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles corresponded to the characteristics of the target LiYF$_4$:Nd$^{3+}$ bulk crystal. In particular, the luminescence decay curves for the $^4$F$_{3/2}$ $\to$ $^4$I$_{11/2}$ radiative transition (Nd$^{3+}$) are single-exponential and the decay times were around 517$\mu$s, which is typical for Nd$^{3+}$ in LiYF$_4$ host. It has been established that the decrease in the power density of laser radiation energy leads to the increase of the average particle size.