Luminescent hybrid oxydiacetic/ethyleneglycol/TEOS/Eu(III) material: Thermal and spectroscopic analysis

Abstract

A luminescent hybrid organic-inorganic material was synthesized with the sol-gel technique by hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and an organic precursor obtained through the esterification of oda (oxydiacetic acid) and EG (ethyleneglycol) in acid media. The Eu(III) ion was included in the system to monitor the formation of the complex between the lanthanide and the ligand oda in the hybrid matrix. The spectral features of the emission of the Eu(III) ion together with the data obtained from infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy permit the structural characterization of the system and its comparison with a reference sample in which no organic moieties were hydrolyzed during the sol-gel process.