Electrospinning preparation and photoluminescence properties of erbium complex doped composite fibers

In this paper, an Er(III) complex of Er(DBM)3IPD, where DBM=1,3-diphenyl-propane-1,3-dione and IPD=4-(1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthrolin-2-yl)-N,N-diphenylaniline, is synthesized and doped into poly(vinylpyrrolidone) submicron fibers through electrospinning technique. The crystal structure and morphology are investigated in detail. The composite fibers exhibit smooth and uniform morphology on the substrate, with an average diameter of ～1.4 μm. Photophysical data suggest that DBM ligand sensitizes Er(III) center efficiently and provides an optimal condition for radiative decay, and low temperature can enhance the emission intensity by suppressing the quenching effect. It is found that the photostability of Er(III) complex doped composite fibers is largely improved compared with that of pure complex.