Preparation and fluorescent recognition properties for fluoride of a nanostructured covalently bonded europium hybrid material

A novel covalently bonded Eu3+-based silica hybrid material was designed and its spectrophotometric anion sensing property was studied. The fluorescent receptor (europium complex) was covalently grafted to the silica matrix via a sol-gel approach. FTIR, UV-vis spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescent spectra were characterized, and the results revealed that the hybrid material with nanosphere structure displayed excellent photophysical property. In addition, the selective anion sensing property of the hybrid material was studied by UV-vis and fluorescence spectra. The results showed that the hybrid material exhibited a smart response with fluoride anions.

Graphical AbstractA new kind of covalently bonded europium hybrid material was designed and synthesized through sol-gel method. This hybrid material possesses nanosphere structure and exhibited a smart response with fluoride anions through the hydrogen bonding effect, which resulted in the obvious color and fluorescent changesFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide