Novel hybrid periodic mesoporous organosilica material grafting with Tb complex: Synthesis, characterization and photoluminescence property

A novel periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) material was synthesized through one-step co-condensation of 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTESE) and benzoic acid-functionalized organosilane (BA-Si) using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a structure-directing agent under basic conditions. The materials were fully characterized by FTIR, XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and FESEM. FTIR spectra proved that BA-Si was successfully incorporated into the PMO materials (PMOs) via benzyl group as a linker. XRD and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms revealed the characteristic mesoporous structure with highly uniform pore size distributions. FESEM confirmed that the morphology of the PMOs was significantly dependent on the molar ratio of two organosilica precursors. In addition, BA-PMO was attempted as a supporter to link the Tb3+ ions via impregnation of TbCl3 into BA-PMO through a ligand exchange reaction. The obtained material Tb-BA-PMO was also characterized. The result showed that the mesostructure of the sample remained intact. Under the UV radiation, the sample exhibited the characteristic strong emission of Tb3+ ions. In contrast with the pure complex, the resulting hybrid material was demonstrated to presented better thermal stability, demonstrated by thermogravimetric analysis.