Luminescent, mesoporous, and bioactive europium-doped calcium silicate (MCS: Eu3+) as a drug carrier

Luminescent, mesoporous, and bioactive europium-doped calcium silicate (MCS: Eu) was successfully synthesized. The obtained MCS: Eu(3+) was performed as a drug delivery carrier to investigate the drug storage/release properties using ibuprofen (IBU) as the model drug. The structural, morphological, textural, and optical properties were well characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N(2) adsorption/desorption, and photoluminescence (PL) spectra, respectively. The results reveal that the MCS: Eu exhibits the typical ordered characteristics of the mesostructure. This composite shows a sustained release profile with IBU as the model drug. The IBU-loaded samples still present red luminescence of Eu(3+) ((5)D(0)-(7)F(1,2)) under UV irradiation. The emission intensities of Eu(3+) in the drug carrier system vary with the amount of released IBU, making the drug release easily tracked and monitored. The system demonstrates a great potential for drug delivery and disease therapy.     

Luminescence of Tb3+ and Eu3+ doped amorphous zinc benzoates

The Tb(3+) and Eu(3+) doped amorphous zinc benzoate were prepared. Their infrared absorption, emission and excitation spectra were measured. The luminescence mechanisms of Tb(3+) and Eu(3+) in the amorphous substrate were discussed. The bonding modes of OCO group to Zn(2+) ion have two of symmetric and asymmetric bridging bidentate. The energy of the S(1) pi,pi* excited state of benzene ring can be transferred to Tb(3+) and Eu(3+) ion, and results in characteristic emission from the 5D(4)-->(7)F(j) of Tb(3+) and 5D(0)-->(7)F(j) of Eu(3+), respectively.     

Electrospinning preparation and drug delivery properties of Eu/Tb doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanofibers

Luminescent Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanofibers (MBGNFs) with average diameter of 100-120 nm were fabricated by electrospinning method. Pluronic P123 and N-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used as co-surfactants to generate porous structure of the nanofibers. N₂ adsorption-desorption measurement reveals that the MBGNF:Eu³⁺ have a surface area of 188 m² g⁻¹, a pore volume of 0.246 cm³ g⁻¹ and average pore size of 4.17 nm, and the MBGNF:Tb³⁺ have a surface area of 171 m² g⁻¹, a pore volume of 0.186 cm³ g⁻¹ and average pore size of 3.65 nm. Photoluminescence measurements reveal that the MBGNF:Eu³⁺ show strong red emission dominated by the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺ at 614 nm with a lifetime of 1.356 ms, and MBGNF:Tb³⁺ show strong green emission dominated by the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transition of Tb³⁺ at 544 nm with a lifetime of 1.982 ms. The biocompatibility tests on L929 fibroblast cells using MTT assay reveal low cytotoxicity of MBGNF. These luminescent nanofibers show sustained release properties for ibuprofen (IBU) in vitro. The emission intensities of Eu³⁺ in the drug delivery system vary with the released amount of IBU, thus making the drug release be easily tracked and monitored by the change of the luminescence intensity.     

Preparation and Luminescence Properties of Color-tunable Single-phased LaPO4: Eu3+/Tb3+ Phosphors

A novel series of color-tunable single-phased phosphors La_1-x-yPO₄:xEu³⁺/yTb³⁺(x=0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05; y=0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20) was synthesized via microwave-assisted co-precipitation method with diammonium hydrogen phosphate as precipitant. The morphology, crystal structure and photoluminescence properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results reveal that the as-synthesized samples calcined at 1100℃ display spherical morphology with uniform distribution. Upon excitation with 350 nm ultraviolet radiation, the LaPO₄:Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ phosphors showed a green light peaking at 543 nm assigned to the characteristic ⁵D₄-⁷F₅ emission of Tb³⁺ and a red light peaking at 591 nm corresponding to the characteristic ⁵D₀-⁷F₁ emission of Eu³⁺ simultaneously. For the Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ co-activated phosphors, Tb³⁺ acts as an efficient sensitizer to enhance the emission intensity of Eu³⁺ ions. The energy transfer mechanism and the emission color tunability of LaPO₄:Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ have been studied. The results indicate that a color-tunable luminescence(from green to white to red) can be achieved by adjusting the Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ doping ratio in the LaPO₄ host matrix.     

NaY(WO4)2:Eu3+/Tb3+/Tm3+白色荧光粉的制备与发光性能

采用溶剂热法合成了一种单一相白色荧光粉NaY(WO4)2:Eu3+,Tb3+,Tm3+.通过X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线能谱(EDS)及荧光光谱(PL)对制备的系列样品的物相、形貌和荧光性质进行了表征.结果表明:在荧光粉NaY(WO4)2:x％Eu3+,4％Tb3+,1％Tm3+(x=5,10,15,20)中,随着Eu3+掺入量的增加,发光从绿光区进入白光区.同时观察到Tb3+到Eu3+的有效能量传递.     

Optical characterization of Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions doped zinc lead borate glasses

This paper reports on the spectral analysis of Eu3+ or Tb3+ ions (0.5 mol%) doped heavy metal oxide (HMO) based zinc lead borate glasses from the measurement of their absorption, emission spectra and also different physical properties. From the XRD, DSC profiles, the glass nature and glass thermal properties have been studied. The measured emission spectrum of Eu3+ glass has revealed five transitions (5D0-->7F0, 7F1, 7F2, 7F3 and 7F4) at 578, 591, 613, 654 and 702 nm, respectively, with lambdaexci=392 nm (7F0-->5L6). In the case of Tb3+:ZLB glass, four emission transitions such as (5D4-->7F6, 7F5, 7F4 and 7F3) that are located at 489, 542, 585 and 622 nm, respectively, have been measured with lambdaexci=374 nm. For all these emission bands decay curves have been plotted to evaluate their lifetimes and the emission processes that arise in the glasses have been explained in terms of energy level schemes.     

Nanocrystalline CaYAlO4:Tb3+/Eu3+ as promising phosphors for full-color field emission displays

Eu(3+) and/or Tb(3+)-doped CaYAlO(4) phosphor samples were synthesized by Pechini-type sol-gel method. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra were used to characterize the samples. For CaYAlO(4):Tb(3+), it is shown that the Tb(3+)-doping concentration has a significant effect on the (5)D(3)/(5)D(4) emission intensity of Tb(3+), which is attributed to the cross relaxation from (5)D(3) to (5)D(4). Under the 4f(8)→ 4f(7)5d excitation of Tb(3+) or low-voltage electron beams excitation, the CaYAlO(4):Tb(3+) phosphors show tunable luminescence from blue to cyan, and then to green with the change of Tb(3+)-doping concentration. The CaYAlO(4):Eu(3+) samples exhibit a reddish-orange emission of Eu(3+) corresponding to (5)D(0,1)→(7)F(0,1,2,3) transitions. Furthermore, a white emission can be realized in the single phase CaYAlO(4) host by reasonably adjusting the doping concentrations of Tb(3+) and Eu(3+) under low-voltage electron beams excitation. Compared with the commercial blue (Y(2)SiO(5):Ce(3+)) and green (ZnO:Zn) phosphors, CaYAlO(4):0.1%Tb(3+) and CaYAlO(4):5%Tb(3+) phosphors have higher CL intensity and stability under continuous electron bombardment. Due to the excellent CL properties and good CIE chromaticity coordinates, the as-prepared Tb(3+)/Eu(3+)-doped CaYAlO(4) nanocrystalline phosphors have potential application in FEDs devices.     

Tb3+/Eu3+镧系金属有机框架材料在荧光检测的研究进展

镧系金属有机骨框架（Lanthanide metal organic frameworks,Ln-MOFs）是以镧系离子为中心,与配体有机物组合的多孔材料,具有良好的光学性质,在许多领域有广泛的应用。不同的镧系离子与相应的有机配体结合,可组成不同性能的Ln-MOFs。在众多镧系元素中,Tb3+和Eu3+是良好的发光中心,常被用于组建发光Ln-MOFs。由Tb3+/Eu3+与有机配体形成的Ln-MOFs具有独特的荧光特性、较大stokes位移以及长发光寿命等优点在荧光检测领域具有重要应用。本文综述了基于Tb3+/Eu3+的Ln-MOFs在离子检测、生物标志物检测以及小分子检测领域的研究进展,对Ln-MOFs的发展前景进行了展望。     

Photoluminescent Eu3+/Tb3+ hybrids from the copolymerization of organically modified silane

A novel series of organic/inorganic/polymeric hybrid materials have been constructed from covalently bonding rare earth complexes into the inorganic matrix and polymer backbone. Among functional linkage, 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane is used to modify the hydroxyl group of p-hydroxycinnamic acid via substitution reaction to form the precursor, and the precursor is subsequently used to covalently bonding to acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, and vinyltriethoxysilane, respectively, through copolymerization reaction to form the organic/inorganic/polymeric network. In addition, we introduce the monomer 1,10-phenanthroline as the second reagent ligand for constructing the ternary luminescent hybrid material systems (abbreviated as HC-PMA-RE, HC?=?p-hydroxycinnamic acid and 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane). The physical characterization and especially the photoluminescence property of ternary system are studied in detail, which present the regular microstructure and characteristic photoluminescence.     

Controllable synthesis and luminescent properties of three-dimensional nanostructured CaWO4:Tb3+ microspheres

Three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured CaWO(4):Tb(3+)microspheres assembled by submicrospindles were synthesized via a mild sonochemical route from an aqueous solution of CaCl(2), TbCl(3) and Na(2)WO(4) with the aid of surfactant Polyglycol 600 (PEG-600). The crystal structure and morphology of the as-prepared products were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Rietveld refinement was carried out on the XRD data. The results showed that the CaWO(4):Tb(3+)nanoparticles can be formed without ultrasonic irradiation or addition of PEG-600. With continuously increasing irradiation time the submicrospindles and microspheres could be self-assembled. The central diameter and length of the submicrospindles are around 190 and 500 nm, respectively. The 3D CaWO(4):Tb(3+)nanostructured microspheres with diameter of 2-4 μm were assembled by the submicrospindles. A possible formation mechanism for the 3D-structured CaWO(4):Tb(3+)microspheres was proposed. The Photoluminescent (PL) properties of Tb(3+) ions in the nanostructured CaWO(4) microspheres were studied. The energy transfer processes in CaWO(4):Tb(3+)microspheres were analyzed. The electric dipole-dipole energy transfers related to (5)D(3) level were studied by inspecting the fluorescence decay of (5)D(3) level. The energy transfer critical distance was estimated.     

Assembly of novel Tb3+/Eu3+ sensitized cellulose gels and their emission behaviors

In this paper, a novel luminescent hydrogel was successfully prepared by incorporating Tb-HSA (HSA = Human Serum Albumin) complex into cellulose host. The green luminescence intensities of Tb(III) exhibited on–off changes in terms of pH variation. At the same time, europium activated phosphor (GdVO₄:Eu³⁺) was immobilized into the cellulose hydrogels through two approaches. The photophysical properties of luminescent gels with the temperature variation were investigated by fluorescence. The new group of soft materials will display task-specific usages in sensing fields.     

2,2'-bipyridine lariat calixcrowns: a new class of encapsulating ligands forming highly luminescent Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes

A new class of calix[4]arene crown ethers with one or two bipyridines appended to the polyether ring (lariat calixcrowns) have been designed and synthesized; the luminescence properties of their Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes have been studied in acetonitrile. In this solvent, long lifetimes for the metal emitting states and high metal-luminescence intensities obtained upon ligand excitation have been observed in both Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes. The association constants in methanol have been determined for some of the complexes studied.     

Emission-photoactivity cross-processing of mesoporous interfacial charge transfer in Eu3+ doped titania

Periodic mesoporous Eu(3+) doped titania materials were obtained through the EISA (Evaporation Induced Self Assembly) process. Eu(3+) ions, entrapped within the semi-crystalline walls of the highly porous framework, appear to be advantageous during the probing of surface photochemical reactions. Its emission intensity is very sensitive to the presence of physisorbed molecules, in gas or liquid phase, that reside within the pores. In particular, strong fluctuations in intensity of the (5)D(0)→(7)F(2) transition were observed under UV light exposure on the time scale of tens of seconds. The emission modulation dynamics show a strong correlation with the crystallinity of the titania matrix. Correlation of the emission with the photocatalytic activity of the semiconductor for photodegradation of an organic molecule is observed. A model is proposed to describe the involved mechanisms.     

Photo-modulated wide-spectrum chromism in Eu3+ and Eu3+/Tb3+ photochromic coordination polymer gels: application in decoding secret information

Photo-switching emission of photochromic materials has paramount importance in the field of optoelectronics. Here, we report synthesis and characterization of a dithienylethene (DTE) based photochromic low molecular weight gelator (LMWG) and self-assembly with lanthanide (Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺) ions to form a photochromic coordination polymer gel (pcCPG). Based on DTE ring opening and closing, the TPY-DTE gel shuttles from pale-yellow coloured TPY-DTE-O to dark blue coloured TPY-DTE-C and vice versa upon irradiating with UV and visible light, respectively, and both the photoisomers show distinct optical properties. Furthermore, integration of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ lanthanides with TPY-DTE resulted in red and green emissive Eu-pcCPG (Q.Y. = 18.7% for the open state) and Tb-pcCPG (Q.Y. = 23.4% for the open state), respectively. The photoisomers of Eu-pcCPG exhibit photo-switchable spherical to fibrous reversible morphology transformation. Importantly, an excellent spectral overlap of the Eu³⁺ centred emission and absorption of DTE in the closed form offered photo-switchable emission properties in Eu-pcCPG based on pcFRET (energy transfer efficiency >94%). Further, owing to the high processability and photo-switchable emission, the Eu-pcCPG has been utilized as invisible security ink for protecting confidential information. Interestingly, mixed Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ pcCPG exhibited photo-modulated multi-spectrum chromism reversibly where the colour changes from yellow, blue, and red to green and vice versa under suitable light irradiation.

A lanthanide based photochromic coordination polymer gel (pcCPG) material has been developed which showed photomodulated colour change based on pcFRET and has the potential to be employed for decoding secret information.     

Optical characterization of Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions doped cadmium lithium alumino fluoro boro tellurite glasses

This article reports on the development and spectral results of Eu(3+) and Tb(3+) ions doped cadmium lithium alumino fluoro boro tellurite (CLiAFBT) glasses in the following composition. 40TeO2-30B2O3-10CdO-10Li2O-10AlF3 (Hostglass) (40-x)TeO2-30B2O3-10CdO-10Li2O-10AlF3-xEu2O3 (40-x)TeO2-30B2O3-10CdO-10Li2O-10AlF3-xTb4O7 where x=0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25 mol%. Glass amorphous nature and thermal properties have been studied using the XRD and DSC profiles. From the emission spectra of Eu(3+):glasses, five emission transitions have been observed at 578 nm, 592 nm, 612 nm, 653 nm, 701 nm and are assigned to the transitions (5)D(0)→(7)F(0), (7)F(1,)(7)F(2), (7)F(3) and (7)F(4), respectively, with λ(exci)=392 nm ((7)F(0)→(5)L(6)). In case of Tb(3+):glasses, four emission transitions ((5)D(4)→(7)F(6,)(7)F(5), (7)F(4) and (7)F(3)) are observed at 488 nm, 543 nm, 584 nm and 614 nm, respectively, with λ(exci)=376 nm. Decay curves and energy level diagrams have been plotted to evaluate the life times and to analyze the emission mechanism.     

A luminescent and mesoporous core-shell structured Gd2O3 : Eu(3+)@nSiO2@mSiO2 nanocomposite as a drug carrier

In this paper, Gd(2)O(3) : Eu(3+) nanospheres have been encapsulated with nonporous silica and further layer of ordered mesoporous silica through a simple sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N(2) adsorption/desorption, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and kinetic decay were used to characterize the sample. The results indicate that the nanocomposite with general 50 nm shell thickness and 270 nm core size shows typical ordered mesoporous characteristics (2.4 nm) and has spherical morphology with a smooth surface and narrow size distribution. Additionally, the obtained inorganic nanocomposite shows the characteristic emission of Eu(3+) ((5)D(0)→(7)F(1-4)) even after the loading of drug molecules. The biocompatibility test on L929 fibroblast cells using MTT assay reveals low cytotoxicity of the system. Most importantly, the nanocomposite can be used as an effective drug delivery carrier. A typical anticancer drug, doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX), was used for drug loading, and the DOX release, cytotoxicity, uptake behavior and therapeutic effects were examined. It was found that DOX is shuttled into the cell by the nanocomposite and released inside cells after endocytosis and that the DOX-loaded nanocomposite exhibited greater cytotoxicity than free DOX. These results indicate that core-shell structured Gd(2)O(3) : Eu(3+)@nSiO(2)@mSiO(2) nanocomposite has potential for drug loading and delivery into cancer cells to induce cell death.     

Preparation and structure refinement of Eu3+ doped CaMoO4 nanoparticles

The nanoparticles of CaMoO(4)?:?Eu(3+) (Eu(3+) = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 at. %) are prepared at low temperature (150 °C for 3 h) using urea hydrolysis in ethylene glycol. These are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). From XRD study, it was found that the solubility limit of Eu(3+) ions at the Ca(2+) sites is up to 3 at. % and above this, phase segregation occurs. In combination with Rietveld analysis, its crystal structure was found to be tetragonal phase (space group I4(1)/a (88) and Z = 4 (number of CaMoO(4) formula units per unit cell). Unit cell parameters and bond distances are calculated. The average crystallite sizes of as-prepared, 500 and 900 °C heated samples are found to be 20, 35 and 70 nm, respectively. The lattice strain is found to be 0.003-0.005. From IR study, the bands at 820 and 441 cm(-1) are assigned to asymmetric stretching and bending vibrations of the MoO(4)(2-) tetrahedron, respectively. From TEM study, the shape of particle was found to be spherical. The high resolution TEM suggests a change in orientation of the crystal on annealing up to 900 °C.     

Tailoring of polychromatic emissions in Tb3+/Eu3+ codoped NaYbF4 nanoparticles via energy transfer strategy for white light-emitting diodes

The polychromatic emission and wide-range color tuning in the luminescent nanoparticles are currently of crucial importance, due to the development of color and white light-emitting diode (LED) devices, based on such lanthanide-doped nanostructured materials. By utilization of precipitation method, Tb³⁺-doped and Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺-codoped NaYbF₄ nanoparticles (i.e. NPs) are synthesized. For Tb³⁺-doped NaYbF₄ NPs excited by 377 nm, green emission originating from Tb³⁺ is observed, where its optimum state is obtained when Tb³⁺ content is 25 mol% and the concentration quenching mechanism is found by electric dipole-dipole interaction. Moreover, due to the existence of energy transfer between Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺, polychromatic emissions are realized in Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺-codoped NaYbF₄ NPs as Eu³⁺ content increases. Through analyzing emission decay times and emission spectra, it was confirmed that the energy transfer mechanism in the synthesized NPs is governed mainly by electric dipole-dipole interaction. Furthermore, the resultant NPs also own strong resistance to temperature, which is verified by temperature-dependent emission spectra, and the activation energies of Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺ are 0.206 and 0.207 eV, respectively. In addition, by employing designed NPs as yellow-emitting components, the fabricated white-LED emits brightness warm white light with color coordinate of (0.385, 0.380), high color rendering index of 84.3 and low correlated color temperature of 3903 K. This work does not only offer an available route to develop NPs with polychromatic emissions but also devise promising luminescent materials for improving the performance of the phosphor-converted white-LED.     

Patterning of Gd2(WO4)3:Ln3+ (Ln=Eu, Tb) luminescent films by microcontact printing route

Gd(2)(WO(4))(3) doped with Eu(3+) or Tb(3+) thin phosphor films with dot patterns have been prepared by a combinational method of sol-gel process and microcontact printing. This process utilizes a PDMS elastomeric mold as the stamp to create heterogeneous pattern on quartz substrates firstly and then combined with a Pechini-type sol-gel process to selectively deposit the luminescent phosphors on hydrophilic regions, in which a Gd(2)(WO(4))(3):Ln(3+) (Ln=Eu, Tb) precursor solutions were employed as ink. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, as well as low voltage cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra were carried out to characterize the obtained samples. Under ultraviolet excitation and low-voltage electron beams excitation, the Gd(2)(WO(4))(3):Eu(3+) samples exhibit a strong red emission arising from Eu(3+)(5)D(0,1,2)-(7)F(1,2) transitions, while the Gd(2)(WO(4))(3):Tb(3+) samples show the green emission coming from the characteristic emission of Tb(3+) corresponding to (5)D(4)-(7)F(6,5,4,3) transitions. The results show that the patterning of rare earth-doped phosphors through combining microcontact printing with a Pechini-type sol-gel route has potential for field emission displays (FEDs) applications.     

Anion/cation induced optical switches based on luminescent lanthanide (Tb3+ and Eu3+) hydrogels

Two novel silica based lanthanide complexes (Tb(a)(2) and Eu(a)(2)) were encapsulated into poly(acrylic acid) host. Both Tb(III) and Eu(III) containing hydrogels have typical and easily distinguished narrow line emissions occurring in the green and red region respectively. Particularly, the excitation wavelength for Eu complex can be extended into nearly visible light range (λ(ex) = 395 nm). Interestingly, we discover that these target materials not only exhibit selective emission response towards HSO(4)(-) (detection limit 10(-5) M) compared with CH(3)COO(-), F(-), Cl(-), Br(-) and I(-) but also give unique quenching to Cu(2+) (detection limit 10(-5) M) (tested cations: Cu(2+), Pd(2+), Cd(2+), Co(2+) and Mn(2+)). More importantly, this kind of materials can be recycled more than 10 times.