Preparation and optical properties of hybrid coatings based on epoxy-modified silane and rhodamine B

Amorphous silica materials have been successfully prepared by the controlled hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane and glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The rhodamine B has been introduced into the hydrolized silicate solutions. Thin films have been obtained by spin-coating of the obtained hydrolizates on quartz glass substrates. The morphology of the resulting thin-film samples have been characterized by optical and atomic force microscopies. The spectroscopic properties of samples have been characterized by FT IR and UV-VIS-NIR absorption measurements. The photoluminescence spectra have been recorded at room temperature. The emission of the hybrid materials doped with the dye exposed to UV radiation as a function of laser pulses has been measured. Basic physicochemical properties of the modified silica materials have also been determined. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.