Epoxy Functional Composites Based on Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks for Luminescent Polymer Materials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Integrating metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with polymers creates advanced composite materials.
• Challenges exist in achieving uniform MOF dispersion and interaction within polymer matrices for MOF@polymer hybrids.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and effective method for creating luminescent Ln-MOF@polymer materials.
• To investigate the fluorescence properties and potential applications of these novel composites.

Main Methods:

• A grinding method was employed to synthesize Ln-MOF@TGIC composites by chemically bonding Ln-BTC (lanthanide metal-organic framework) with TGIC (triglycidyl isocyanurate).
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to understand the energy transfer mechanisms.
• The composites were applied as fluorescent coatings on polyimide (PI) films via spraying.

Main Results:

• Ln-BTC@TGIC composites demonstrated enhanced fluorescence, superior emission lifetimes, and quantum yields compared to parent Ln-MOFs.
• A distinct color change from yellow to red was observed in Eu0.05Tb0.95-BTC@TGIC under UV irradiation.
• The synthesized Ln-BTC@TGIC@PI films exhibited stable and remarkable fluorescence properties.

Conclusions:

• A straightforward and efficient method for preparing stable, multicomponent MOF@polymer materials with significant fluorescence was established.
• The developed materials show promise for applications in functional fluorescent coatings and flexible electronic devices.
• This work expands the scope of designing and assembling advanced soft polymer materials with tunable optical properties.