Plasmon-enhanced luminescence of Sm complex using silver nanoparticles in Polyvinyl Alcohol

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by laser ablation in water with an aim to enhance the luminescence of rare earth coordinated complex in polymer host. A fixed concentration of the complex containing Samarium (Sm), Salicylic acid (Sal) and 1, 10-phenanthroline (Phen) were combined with different concentrations of silver NPs in PolyVinyl Alcohol at room temperature. Absorption spectrum and XRD patterns of the sample show that the Sm(Sal)₃Phen complex is accompanied by Ag NPs. The luminescence from the complex was recorded in the presence and absence of Ag NPs using two different excitation wavelengths viz. 400 and 355 nm. Of these, 400 nm radiation falls in the surface plasmon resonance of Ag NPs. It was found that the Ag NPs led to a significant enhancement in luminescence of the complex. Surprisingly, a high concentration of Ag NPs tends to quench the luminescence.