Chiral nematic mesoporous films of ZrO₂:Eu³⁺: new luminescent materials

Integration of luminescent rare earth ions and iridescence into a zirconium oxide photonic material is attractive for the design of new optical devices. The free-standing chiral nematic mesoporous films of ZrO2:Eu(3+) are assembled by a hard-templating approach using nanocrystalline cellulose-templated silica. The ZrO2:Eu(3+) films show tunable optical properties. The chiral nematic structured ZrO2:Eu(3+) exhibits selective suppression of the spontaneous emission of Eu(3+) and the capability to modulate the lifetime of luminescent Eu(3+).