Sensitized green emission of terbium with dibenzoylmethane and 1, 10 phenanthroline in polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl pyrrolidone blends

•Tb doped PVA-PVP with DBM and Phen have been prepared by solution cast technique.•Bond formation amongst the ligands and Tb3 + ions is confirmed by FTIR technique.•DBM and Phen increase Tb3 + luminescence along with energy transfer from the polymer blend itself.•Luminescence decay curves affirm ET from DBM and Phen to Tb3 + ions as reason behind enhancement.•Lifetime of PVA-PVP decreases from 6.02 ns to 2.31 ns confirming ET from the host to complexed Tb.

Tb doped polyvinyl alcohol: polyvinyl pyrrolidone blends with dibenzoylmethane (DBM) and 1, 10 Phenanthroline (Phen) have been prepared by solution cast technique. Bond formation amongst the ligands and Tb3 + ions in the doped polymer has been confirmed employing Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) techniques. Optical properties of the Tb3 + ions have been investigated using UV-Vis absorption, excitation and fluorescence studies excited by different radiations. Addition of dimethylbenzoate and 1, 10 Phenanthroline to the polymer blend increases the luminescence from Tb3 + ions along with energy transfer from the polymer blend itself. Luminescence decay curve analysis affirms the non-radiative energy transfer from DBM and Phen to Tb3 + ions, which is identified as the reason behind this enhancement. The fluorescence decay time of PVA-PVP host decreases from 6.02 ns to 2.31 ns showing an evidence of energy transfer from the host blend to the complexed Tb ions. Similarly the lifetime of DBM and Phen and both in the blend reduces in the complexed system showing the feasibility of energy transfer from these excited DBM and Phen to Tb3 + and is proposed as the cause of the above observations. These entire phenomena have been explained by the energy level diagram.

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