Luminescence behavior of Eu3+ in polytitanasiloxane solution

Polytitanasiloxane solutions containing Eu³⁺ ions have been prepared by the hydrolytic cocondensation of tetraethoxysilane and tetrabutyl titanate. The UV‐vis absorption and the luminescence intensity were both found to increase with the increase of tetrabutyl titanate/tetraethoxysilane (TBT/TEOS) molar ratio. This revealed that the incorporation of TiO₂ can result in the increase of absorption energy of the Ti? O group by near‐UV excitation and in the increase of energy transfer to the metal ion. At the same time, the intensity ratio of ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ to ⁵D₀→⁷F₁ increases as the TBT/TEOS molar ratio increases, indicating the formation of Eu³⁺? O^2?? Ti⁴⁺ bonding. A longer decay time means that the Eu³⁺ ions are better dispersed and less clustered with the increase of TBT/TEOS molar ratio. The results on the luminescence properties of the Eu³⁺ in different media containing ethanol or water suggest that the incorporation of TiO₂ can shield Eu³⁺ ions from the effect of water and ethanol molecules, which leads to an improvement of the Eu³⁺ surroundings. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1357–1363, 2006