One-Pot Synthesis of Gel Glass Embedded with Luminescent Silicon Nanoparticles

Preparation of highly luminescent glasses involves expensive and complicated processes and usually requires high temperature. In this work, we show that luminescent silicon (Si) nanoparticle (NP)- embedded silicate gel glasses can be developed under near-ambient conditions by a remarkably simple, one-pot strategy, without using any sophisticated instrumentation or technique. Simultaneous hydrolysis and reduction of (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane leads to the formation of colloidal Si nanocrystals that can be transformed to a glassy phase upon slow evaporation followed by freezing. Structural investigations reveal the formation of a sodium silicate gel glass framework having discernible shear bands, along with embedded Si NPs. High photoluminescence quantum yield (ca. 35-40%), low glass-transition temperature ( T_g ≈ 66-73 °C), strain-tolerant mechanical stability, and inexpensive preparation make the glass attractive for applications as display materials and photonic converters.