Sol–gel derived hybrid materials doped with rare earth metal ions

Sol–gel derived organic–inorganic hybrid materials doped with rare earth metal ions (Pr3+) and small amounts of lithium ions (∼0.1–0.2 wt.%) were produced from the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), AlCl3·6H2O (about 10 mol%), ethyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate and some other organic additions (ca. 35–40 wt.% of organics in the fresh gels) to obtain hybrid organic–inorganic hosts. The gel and hybrid materials obtained were aged at room temperature for three weeks, then heated in an electric drier for 3 h at temperature of 125 °C and investigated for morphology, structure and luminescence properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 29Si and 27Al MAS nuclear magnetic resonance and fluorescence spectroscopy. An influence of the organic additions and inorganic dopants on microstructure of the materials obtained and their luminescence properties has been examined. Under excitation with UV radiation in a range of ∼210–350 nm, the sharp and relatively intense luminescence emission lines due to 3P0 → 3H4 (blue) and 3P0 → 3F3 (red) transitions of Pr3+ ions were observed in the luminescence spectra of gel and hybrid materials of SA-series.

► Gel and organic–inorganic hybrid host materials of Al2O3SiO2 system.
► Ethyl or butyl methacrylates as organic additions.
► Pr3+ and Li+ ions for doping.
► Luminescence emission in blue-green and red.
► Enhanced PL and structural properties due to Al and ethyl methacrylate additions.