Temperature dependence of the luminescence lifetime of a europium complex immobilized in different polymer matrices

The temperature dependence of the luminescence lifetime of temperature sensor films based on europium (III) thenoyltrifluoroacetonate (EuTTA) as sensor dye in various polymer matrices such as polystyrene (PS), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyurethane (PU) and model airplane dope was studied and compared. The luminescence lifetime of EuTTA was found to depend on the polymer matrix. The temperature sensitivity of lifetime was maximum for EuTTA-PS coating in the temperature range of 10-60 °C. The effect of concentration of the sensor dye in the polymer on the lifetime and temperature sensitivity was also studied.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of europium and terbium complexes with pyridine- or bipyridine-linked oligothiophene ligand

With an aim to develop novel luminescence materials, europium and terbium complexes of 2,5-(2-thiophene)-pyridine (TPY) and 5,5′-bis(5-(2,2′-bithiophene))-2,2′-bipyridine (B2TBPY) were synthesized, and their luminescence properties studied. The complexes exhibit ligand-sensitized emission, which is typical of Eu(III) and Tb(III) ions.     

Metal Enhanced Fluorescence Solution-based Sensing Platform 2: Fluorescent Core-Shell Ag@SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Nanoballs

In this Rapid Communication, we present the development of monodisperse core-shell (silver core-silica shell) nanoparticles with various shell thicknesses featuring a fluorophore, subsequently named Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) nanoballs. MEF nanoballs consist of a ≈130 nm silver nanoparticle core, a silica shell with up to 35 nm thickness and fluorophores doped within the silica shell. Fluorescent nanobubbles where the silver core is removed by chemical etching are used as control samples to show the benefits of using silver nanoparticles, i.e, Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence. Finally, we demonstrate the broad potential biological applications of MEF nanoballs by employing near-infra red emitting probes (Rhodamine 800) within the silica shell, for potential applications in cellular imaging and solution-based sensing. Kadir Aslan, Meng Wu, Contributed equally     

A red europium (III) ternary complex for InGaN-based light-emitting diode

One kind of europium (III) ternary complex was synthesized, and its photoluminescence properties were investigated. This complex exhibits broad excitation band in near-UV range, and strong red emission which is due to the ⁵D₀–⁷F_j transitions of Eu³⁺ ions. The luminescence quantum yield for the Eu³⁺ complex is 0.17. Thermogravimetric analysis confirms a high thermal stability of the complex with a decomposition temperature of 344 °C. All the characteristics indicate that the Eu³⁺ complex is a highly efficient red phosphor suitable to be excited by near UV light. An intense red light-emitting diode was fabricated by combining the europium (III) ternary complex with a ~395 nm-emitting InGaN chip.     

Photosensitized luminescence of thermostable polynuclear Eu(III) complexes

Tetranuclear europium(III) complexes, [Eu₄(μ-O)(L₁)₁₀] (L₁=2-hydroxy-4-octyloxybenzophenone,1) and [Eu₄(μ-O)(L₂)₁₀] (L₂=2-hydroxy-4-dodecyloxybenzophenone,2) were synthesized by the reaction of lanthanide nitrates with L₁ or L₂ in the presence of triethylamine in methanol. The photosensitized emission bands of the both Eu(III) complexes in THF-d₈ were observed around 579, 590, 615, 653, and 699 nm by the excitation of the ligands at 380 nm, whereas the emission from the mononuclear complex 3 containing ethanol molecules was almost quenched. The emission efficiencies were determined to be 3.1±0.1% for 1 and 3.9±0.1% for 2, respectively. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements demonstrated that the decomposition points of 1 and 2 were 309 °C and 320 °C, respectively, indicating high thermostability of these complexes compared to the mononuclear Eu(III) complex 3 (250 °C). New strategy for designing stable rare earth compounds giving strong emission would be emphasized by introducing polynuclear complexes. Polynuclear complexes should open a wide range of molecular design for photosensitized luminescence and thermal stability.     

Fluorescence Modulation of Acridine and Coumarin Dyes by Silver Nanoparticles

Silver nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical reduction of silver ions by sodium borohydride in the presence of poly-(N)-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone in solution of short chain alcohols. The nanoparticles are stable in 2-propanol, and the average diameter of the Ag colloid obtained in this solvent is about 6 nm. The photophysical properties of acridinium and coumarin dyes in 2-propanol are affected by the presence of silver nanoparticles. The interaction of silver nanoparticles with acridinium derivative leads to a spectral change of its intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) absorption band. The dye emission increases suddenly with the initial addition of the Ag metal nanoparticles, but at a high concentration of the colloid, static fluorescence quenching occurs with a progressive decrease of the fluorescence efficiency. Amino coumarin fluorescence is only quenched by the silver nanoparticles in solution.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of mesophase silica thin films doped with in-situ formed europium complex

Mesophase silica thin film doped with in-situ formed ternary Eu complex was synthesized by adding ligands (DBM=dibenzoylmethane, phen=1,10-phenanthroline), Eu ions (EuCl₃·6H₂O), and Pluronic P123 triblock copolymer into hydrolyzed tetramethoxy-silane (TMOS). The structure of this inorganic/organic film was characterized as a 2d-hexagonal structure by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and TEM analysis. The excitation spectra (λ_em=612 nm) and emission spectra (λ_ex=325 nm) indicated that the ternary complex, Eu-DBM-phen, was formed in-situ during the formation of the film. The mesophase silica thin film doped with the in-situ formed Eu complex showed a higher quantum efficiency compared to a pure Eu(DBM)₃phen complex and a mesophase silica thin film doped with in-situ formed binary Eu-phen complex.     

Ultrasonic-assistant fabrication of cocoon-like Ag/AgFeO2 nanocatalyst with excellent plasmon enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity

The AgFeO₂ delafossite was reported as a potential photocatalyst as well as its intense recombination rate of photogeneration charge carriers. In this work, we utilized plasmon modification method to enhance the photocatalytic activity of AgFeO₂. Silkworm cocoon like Ag/AgFeO₂ nanocatalyst was synthesized by an ultrasonic enhanced reduction method. XRD, HRTEM and XPS results demonstrated the well dispersed Ag⁰ on the surface of AgFeO₂. Under visible light irradiation, 20 mg/L of ARG solution was completely degraded by 0.25 g/L of Ag/AgFeO₂ photocatalyst with pseudo-first-order rate of 0.040 min⁻¹. The inducement of the prominently enhanced photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgFeO₂ was deeply analyzed. Significant decreased intensity of photoluminescence (PL) spectra suggested the superior separation of photo-induced electrons and holes of Ag/AgFeO₂ as compared to that of AgFeO₂. The free h⁺ was confirmed as the dominant active species for the pollutant degradation. Ultimately, the photodegradation mechanism was proposed and discussed.     

模板合成法制备TiO2:Eu3+纳米管及其发光特性研究

以碳纳米管做模板,在不利用任何表面活性剂或催化剂情况下,通过溶剂热法成功合成均匀的TiO2:Eu3+纳米管。X射线衍射结果表明,该产物是TiO2的一种纯锐钛矿相。扫描电子显微镜及透射电子显微镜图像显示,所得到的TiO2:Eu3+纳米管在大小及分布上是均匀的,管壁的厚度约为8nm。提出了该纳米管可能的形成机制。发光光谱表明,由于5D0→7F2间的转换,TiO2:Eu3+纳米管会在612nm发出红光。此外,因为制备容易而且成本较低,这种合成路径还有望用来制备其他的一维无机纳米材料。     

模板合成法制备TiO2:Eu3+纳米管及其发光特性研究

以碳纳米管做模板,在不利用任何表面活性剂或催化剂情况下,通过溶剂热法成功合成均匀的TiO2:Eu3+纳米管。X射线衍射结果表明,该产物是TiO2的一种纯锐钛矿相。扫描电子显微镜及透射电子显微镜图像显示,所得到的TiO2:Eu3+纳米管在大小及分布上是均匀的,管壁的厚度约为8nm。提出了该纳米管可能的形成机制。发光光谱表明,由于5D0→7F2间的转换,TiO2:Eu3+纳米管会在612nm发出红光。此外,因为制备容易而且成本较低,这种合成路径还有望用来制备其他的一维无机纳米材料。     

Spectroscopic studies on the luminescence properties of ternary europium complexes with different ligands

In this paper, ligand effect of several bi-dental oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N) ligands on the red luminescence properties of europium ion (Eu³⁺) was studied comprehensively. Absorption, emission, and excitation spectral properties of ternary europium complexes with different combinations of ligands including thenoyl trifluoroacetone (TTA), naphthyl trifluoroacetone (NTA), 2,2′-bipyridyl (bpy) and phenanthroline (Phen) were investigated. Efficient Eu³⁺ red emission was observed with all the combinations of the above mentioned ligands. The most intense emission was found with the all nitrogen coordinated complex Eu(bpy)₂(Phen)₂ while the longest wavelength excitation band was recorded with oxygen-nitrogen mixed NTA-bpy complex Eu(NTA)₁(bpy)₃. With change of the ligands combination and ratio, the Eu³⁺ emission peak changes slightly from 612 to 618 nm. The absorption and excitation spectra of the europium complexes were compared and analyzed referring to the individual absorption spectral properties of the ligands. The relation between ligand-to-metal charge transfer states and luminescence intensities for different complexes was studied.     

Localized surface plasmon resonance enhanced blue light-emission of polyfluorene copolymer

Polyfluorene-based blue light-emitting devices suffer from the shortcomings of low stability, drastic loss of quantum yield and poor color purity. To find out the solution, we use silver nanoparticles for enhancement of photoluminescence of polyfluorene copolymer (PCFOz) through localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) coupling effect. The photoluminescence from PCFOz can be concentrated down to nanoscale, realizing a high spatial selectivity of the fluorescence enhancement process. PL emission of conjugated polymer is blueshifted about 8 nm from the peak emission of 433 nm for the neat PCFOz film to around 425 nm for the Ag/PCFOz composite film. The full width at half maximum of PCFOz is reduced from 88 to 60 nm. Absorbance spectra and time resolved photoluminescence measurements further demonstrate that both absorption intensity and recombination rate of PCFOz increase due to strong LSPR-excitons coupling. Optical properties of such plasmon-enhanced organic light emitters were also studied by temperature-dependent PL spectroscopy from 10 to 200 K. In comparison with bare PCFOz, the LSPR induced emission enhancement ratio significantly increases with increasing temperature. These results are believed to be important for the development of highly efficient blue organic light-emitting devices based on all-solution processing.     

三核铜（I）配合物的合成与荧光光谱

室温下，通过双核配合物[Cu(dppm)(NO3)]2(dppm=双二苯基膦甲烷)与四苯基硼钠在甲醇和二氯甲烷混合溶剂中反应制备了三核铜(I)配合物[Cu3(dppm)3(NO3)(OH)](NO3)，经过红外光谱、热重分析、核磁和ES-MS等现代分析手段表征了配合物的物理化学性质，并进一步研究了配合物在室温下的荧光光谱特征。     

Localized surface plasmon resonance of silicon compounds adsorbed on silver nanoparticles

A simple method to produce silver nanoparticles on a glass surface from silver nanolayer deposited by magnetron sputtering and thermal annealed is presented. Localized surface plasmon resonance of nanoparticles shows a red shift depending on the silver nanolayer thickness, the refractive index and the thickness of an ultra-thin silicon compound adsorbed on the surface. A highly enhanced Raman spectrum of the characteristic groups of a silicon compound adsorbed on the nanoparticles surface was obtained.     

Li+共掺杂GdTaO4:Eu3+发光增强效应的研究

测量了不同浓度Li+共掺杂下GdTaO4:Eu3+荧光粉材料的X射线衍射谱(XRD)、发射光谱以及红外透射谱,并应用Judd-Ofelt理论,由发射光谱得到Eu3+的光谱跃迁强度参数Ω2.发现Li+共掺杂有助于提高GdTaO4:Eu3+的发光强度,当x=0.06和0.10时,612 nm处的发光强度分别被提升了1.7倍和1.5倍.发光增加的原因是因为Li+的助熔剂效应有效提高了GdTaO4材料的结品性能,并抑制了Cd2O3和Ta2O5杂相的产生,而非所推测的掺Li+引起了配位场对称性降低,从而导致宇称禁戒的放宽.此时Gd0.92-xLixTaO4:Eu3+0.08材料不仪结晶性能较好,而且Gd2O3和Ta2O5杂相也相对较少,故而发光增强最为明显.     

Preparation, characterization, and luminescence properties of novel hybrid material containing europium(III) complex covalently bonded to MCM-41

In this paper, a novel luminescent organic-inorganic hybrid material containing covalently bonded ternary europium complex in mesoporous silica MCM-41 has been successfully prepared by co-condensation of tetrethoxysilane (TEOS) and the modified ligand 2-phenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phen-3-(triethoxysilyl)propylcarbamate (PIP-Si) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant as template. PIP-Si containing 1,10-phenanthroline covalently grafted to 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl isocyanate is used not only as a precursor but also as the second ligand for Eu(TTA)₃·2H₂O (TTA: 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetate) complex to prepare a novel functionalized mesoporous material. The resulted mesoporous composite materials, which demonstrate strong characteristic emission lines of Eu³⁺⁵D₀-⁷F_J (J=0, 1, 2, 3, 4), were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), small-angle X-ray diffraction, excited-state decay analysis. Emission intensity of the Eu(III) complex covalently linked to MCM-41 (Eu-MCM-41) increases with the increasing irradiation time, demonstrating better photostability compared with both pure Eu(III) complex and physically incorporated sample.     

Investigation of the influence of silver and tin on the luminescence of trivalent europium ions in glass

Europium-doped aluminophosphate glasses prepared by the melt-quenching technique have been studied by photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of silver and tin doping, and of further thermal processing on Eu³⁺ ions luminescence have been assessed. For the glass system containing only europium, Eu³⁺ PL observed under UV excitation is suggested to occur through energy transfer from the excited glass host. After silver and tin doping, an enhanced UV excited Eu³⁺ PL has been indicated to occur essentially due to radiative energy transfer from isolated Ag⁺ ions and/or two fold-coordinated Sn centers. Since thermal processing of the material leads to a quenching effect on Eu³⁺ PL and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) formation due to reduction of silver ions by tin, XPS was employed in order to investigate the possibility for Eu³⁺→Eu²⁺ reduction during HT as a potential source of the PL decrease. The data points towards Ag NPs as main responsible for the observed weakening of Eu³⁺ PL.     

Rapid detection of doxycycline content in duck meat by using silver nanoparticles and alkylphenols polyoxyethylene enhanced fluorescence of europium complex

Doxycycline can coordinate with europium (III) to form europium (III)-doxycycline complex, which can emit the fluorescence characteristic peak of europium (III) at 617 nm in alkaline solution, and the experiment proved that the fluorescence intensity could be further enhanced in the presence of silver nanoparticles and surfactant alkylphenols polyoxyethylene. So this method was applied to detect doxycycline content in duck meat in this research. First, 390 and 617 nm were selected as the optimum excitation wavelength and optimum emission wavelength by three-dimensional fluorescence spectrometry, respectively. Second, the experimental conditions were optimized through single factor experiment. Lastly, the samples of doxycycline concentration range of 0.05–12 mg/L were analyzed under the optimum experimental conditions. A good linear relationship between the doxycycline concentration and the fluorescence intensity was obtained, and the determination coefficient and the root mean squared error of prediction were 0.9982 and 0.4363 mg/L, respectively. This research showed that it was feasible to achieve the rapid detection of doxycycline content in duck meat by using silver nanoparticles and alkylphenols polyoxyethylene enhanced the fluorescence of europium complex.     

Preparation and luminescence study of Eu(III) titanate nanotubes and nanowires using carbon nanotubes as removable templates

Eu(III) titanate nanotubes and nanowires have been successfully synthesized by solvothermal method using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as removable templates. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. It is demonstrated that CNTs are fully coated with an amorphous Eu₂(TiO₃)₃ layer, which is about 10 nm thick and almost continuous and uniform. After the Eu₂(TiO₃)₃/CNTs composites have been calcined at various temperatures, Eu₂(TiO₃)₃ nanotubes and nanowires are obtained by removing the CNTs templates. The diameter of the Eu₂(TiO₃)₃ nanotubes is 40–60 nm, which is consistent with that of CNTs. Both nanotubes and nanowires have a narrow distribution of diameters. The fluorescence properties of the Eu₂(TiO₃)₃ nanotubes and nanowires calcined at various temperatures have been investigated. The results indicate that when the Eu₂(TiO₃)₃/CNTs composites were calcined at 700 °C for 5 h, the Eu₂(TiO₃)₃ nanotubes obtained can be effectively excited by 395 nm light, and exhibit strong red emission around 616 nm. It is very interesting to discover that a few residual carbons doped in Eu₂(TiO₃)₃ nanotubes and many oxygen vacancies could promote the intensity of red emission peak of Eu³⁺ ions. In addition, Eu₂(TiO₃)₃ nanowires calcined at 900 °C for 5 h also have a strong red emission peak due to many oxygen vacancies and defects formed on the surface of the nanowires and inside them.     

XAFS at Eu-L3 edge and UV-VUV excited luminescence of europium doped strontium borophosphate prepared in air

The local structure and the valences of europium in SrBPO₅:Eu prepared in air were checked by means of XAFS at Eu-L₃ edge. From the EXAFS results, it was discovered that the doped europium atoms were nine-coordinated by oxygen atoms and the distances of bond Eu-O were 2.42 Å in the host. From the XANES data, it was found that the divalent and trivalent europium coexisted in the matrix. The emission spectra excited by VUV or UV exhibited a prominent broad band due to the 4f⁶5d-4f⁷ transition of Eu²⁺ ions, which indicated that the trivalent europium ions were reduced in air in the matrix at high temperature by the defects [V_Sr]″ formed by aliovalent substitution between Sr²⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions. The VUV excitation spectra in 100-200 nm range showed that the matrix had absorption bands with the maxima at about 130 and 150 nm, respectively.