CeO2:Er/Yb nanorods as upconversion materials were successfully synthesized by solvothermal method. The structures and morphologies of the CeO2:Er/Yb nanorods were characterized by XRD, SEM, HRTEM. The nanorods emitted two kinds of visible lights: the green (H-2(11/2),S-4(3/2)-> I-4(15/2)) and the red (E-4(9/2)-> I-4(15/2)), under excitation with a continuous wave laser in the near-infrared at 980 nm at room temperature. The mechanism of different emissions was explored involving excited-state absorption (ESA) and energy transfer (ET) upconversion. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.