Construction of luminescent terbium inorganic/organic molecular-based hybrids from modified functional bridge ligand

4-Tert-butylbenzoic acid (TBBA) was modified to achieve a functional molecular bridge (TBBA-APMS) with double reactivity by the amidation reaction by a cross-linking molecule (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (abbreviated as APMS). The modified functional ligand further behaves as a bridge which can both coordinate to terbium ion through amide' oxygen atom and occur an in situ sol-gel process with matrix precursor (tetraethoxysilane, TEOS), resulting a novel molecular hybrid material (named as Tb-TBBA-APMS) with double chemical bond (Tb-O coordination bond and Si-O covalent bond). Ultraviolet absorption, phosphorescence, and fluorescence spectra were applied to characterize the photophysical properties of the obtained hybrid material. The strong luminescence of Tb3+ substantiates optimum energy couple and effective intramolecular energy transfer between the triplet state energy of modified ligand bridge and emissive energy level of Tb3+.