Investigation of the photoluminescence of microporous silicalite-1 (MFI) films

• Statistical analysis was used to design the synthesis parameters of silicalite-1 films and determine the significant factors on PL properties.
• Silicalite-1 films with different thicknesses were synthesized with various aging times, crystallization times, and orientation.
• The surface roughness, crystal morphologies, crystal sizes, and film thickness of silicalite-1 films were characterized.
• Film thickness and crystal size had the largest impact on photoluminescence intensity.

Optical material systems have the opportunity to impact the design, fabrication, and performance metrics of micro- and nano-scale optical devices and systems. Zeolites are nanostructured materials with a crystalline pore structure, which gives them the ability to selectively absorb molecules based on their shape and size. Due to zeolites' unique relationships among structure and function, they have potentially interesting optical properties that may be leveraged for integrated optical systems. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of silicalite-1 (MFI) zeolite films via in situ crystallization for various synthetic parameters, and characterize their resulting structural and optical properties, including the photoluminescence emission of the calcined samples. We explore how we can manipulate these emission peaks with small changes to the synthetic parameters, and we evaluate the results using statistical analysis to determine the roles of the synthetic parameters on the photoluminescence. The thicknesses of the samples range from 0 to 100 μm, and the photoluminescence spectra exhibit emission peaks at ∼650 nm and ∼803 nm. This works demonstrates, for the first time, the variable emission of photoluminescence of silicalite-1 (MFI) films, which should lead to a better understanding of how to apply these unique material systems to integrated optical devices.

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