Highly Efficient Luminescent Polycarboxylate Lanthanide Complexes Incorporated into Di-Ureasils by an In-Situ Sol—Gel Process

In order to prepare efficient luminescent organic–inorganic hybrid materials embedded with a lanthanide (Ln3+) complex with polycarboxylate ligands, Ln3+-doped di-ureasils with 4,4-oxybis(benzoic acid) and 1,10-phenanthroline ligands were synthesized via an in-situ sol–gel route. The resulting hybri...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ming Fang, Lianshe Fu, Sandra F. H. Correia, Rute A. S. Ferreira, Luís D. Carlos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-04-01
Series:Polymers
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/4/434
Description
Summary:In order to prepare efficient luminescent organic–inorganic hybrid materials embedded with a lanthanide (Ln3+) complex with polycarboxylate ligands, Ln3+-doped di-ureasils with 4,4-oxybis(benzoic acid) and 1,10-phenanthroline ligands were synthesized via an in-situ sol–gel route. The resulting hybrids were structurally, thermally, and optically characterized. The energy levels of the ligands and the host-to-ion and ligand-to-ion energy transfer mechanisms were investigated (including DFT/TD–DFT calculations). The results show that these Ln3+-based di-ureasil hybrids exhibit promising luminescent features, e.g., Eu3+-based materials are bright red emitters displaying quantum yields up to 0.50 ± 0.05. The luminescent color can be fine-tuned either by selection of adequate Ln3+ ions or by variation of the excitation wavelength. Accordingly, white light emission with CIE coordinates of (0.33, 0.35) under 310 nm irradiation was obtained.
ISSN:2073-4360