Luminescent hybrid ionogels functionalized with rare earth fluoride up-conversion nanocrystals dispersing in ionic liquid

Abstract

Rare earth doped fluorides (BaMgF4, aYF4 and BaYF5/BaLuF5) have been synthesized and dispersed in an ionic liquid compound, (3-triethoxysilyl) propyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (denoted as IM+Cl-). Through the cohydrolysis and copolycondensatoin reaction between the alkoxy group (3-triethoxysilyl) of IM+ and tetraethoxysilane in the presence of carboxylic acids (formic acid) as catalyst and water source, luminescent hybrid ionogels form subsequently. 1H NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and especially up-conversion (UC) luminescence spectroscopy are used to characterize the precursors and the resulted hybrid ionogels. These hybrid ionogels exhibit the UC luminescence properties of immobilized rare earth fluoride nanocrystals (BaMgF4, NaYF4 and BaYF5/BaLuF5) doped Er 3+/Tm3+, Yb3+. Lanthanide doped fluorides (BaMgF4, NaYF4 and BaYF5/BaLuF5) have been synthesized and dispersed in a ionic liquid compound 1-(3-tetraethoxysilane) propyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (denoted as IM +Cl-). Through the cohydrolysis and copolycondensatoin reaction between the alkoxy group (3-tetraethoxysilane) of IM+ and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) in the presence of carboxylic acids [formic acid (FA)] as catalyst and water source, luminescent hybrid iongels form subsequently. These hybrid iongels exhibit the upconversion luminescence properties of immbolized rare earth fluoride nanocrystals (BaMgF4, NaYF4 and BaYF5/BaLuF5). © 2013 The American Society of Photobiology.