Photophysical properties of terbium molecular-based hybrids assembled with novel ureasil linkages

Three silica-based organic-inorganic hybrid systems composed of hydroxyl aromatic derivatives (2-acetylphenol [HAP], 2-hydroxy-3-methylbenzoic acid [HMBA], 3-hydroxy-meta-phthalic acid [HMPHTH] complexes) were prepared via a sol-gel process. The active hydroxyl groups of the three ligands grafted by 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propyl isocyanate (TESPIC) through hydrogen transfer addition reaction were used as multi-functional bridge components, which can coordinate to Tb3+ with carbonyl groups, strongly absorb ultraviolet light and effectively transfer energy to Tb3+ through their triplet excited state, as well as undergo polymerization or crosslinking reactions with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), for anchoring terbium ions to silica backbone. NMR, FT-IR, UV-vis absorption, luminescence spectroscopy was used to investigate the obtained hybrid material. UV excitation in the organic component resulted in strong green emission from Tb3+ ions due to an efficient ligand-to-metal energy transfer mechanism.