Europium (III) complex functionalized Si-MCM-41 hybrid materials with visible-light-excited luminescence

•Novel ternary mesoporous silica hybrids are assembled.•Three visible excitation molecule are used to coordinate europium ions.•The hybrids present both excitation and luminescence in visible region.

The synthesis of organics 9-hydroxyphenalenone (HPO), 2-methyl-9-hydroxyphenalenone (MHPO), 6-hydroxybenz[de]anthracen-7-one (HBAO), 5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline (phen-NH2) and its functionalized mesoporous MCM-41 by covalent band are reported, as well as those of Europium (III) hybrid mesoporous materials, EuL3phen-MCM-41 (L = HPO, MHPO, HBAO). The photoluminescence and microstructural properties are characterized, and the XRD and BET results revealed that all of these hybrid materials have uniformity in the mesostructure. It is worth noting that the excitation spectra of these hybrid materials have a broad absorption, which occupies from UV to visible region (250–475 nm). Upon ligand-mediated excitation with the visible light, the low efficient energy transfer exhibit between the organic ligands and europium(III) ion under visible excitation, but the maximum wavelength (456 nm/457 nm/451 nm) located at blue light region, which is in consistent with the blue LED light, then might be a feasible alternative in producing time-resolved luminescence under LED-excitation.

Graphical abstractEuropium (III) hybrid mesoporous materials are assembled with formulae EuL3phen-MCM-41 (L = HPO, MHPO, HBAO), which present the visible excitation at blue light region with maximum wavelength (456 nm/457 nm/451 nm).Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide