Interaction of luminescent dyes with noble metal nanoparticles in organic-inorganic glasses for future luminescent materials

Organic-inorganic glasses (ormocers) incorporated by fluorescent dyes absorbing in the solar spectrum are important as new materials for luminescent solar concentrators. We present here how the fluorescence efficiencies of the new fluorescent ormocers can be enhanced by additions of noble metal-silver nanoparticles (NPs). The preparation of the ormocer and various size silver NPs is described. The film of hybrid inorganic-organic matrix consists of silica, diurethane-siloxane, and polyvinyl-butyral matches optically to the glass substrate. The film has high-mechanical stability, and is photostable and atmosphere-resistant. The fluorescence of the system doped by a model dye Rhodamine-123, without and with presence of the silver NPs, was measured. The increase of the luminescence intensity was observed and attributed to the interaction of the excited levels of the dyes with silver plasmons. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.