Preparation of uniform rhodamine B-doped poly(3-glycidoxypropylsilsesquioxane) fluorescent microspheres via a sol-gel method

Uniform rhodamine B-doped poly(3-glycidoxypropylsilsesquioxane) (RB-PGPSQ) fluorescent microspheres with epoxy functional groups were prepared using 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) as precursor via a two-step acid-base-catalyzed sol-gel method. The hydrolysis and condensation processes of GPTMS were tracked by Si-29 magnetic resonance spectrometer and field emission scanning electron microscopy to reveal the formation process of the fluorescent microspheres. The average diameters of the fluorescent microspheres could be tuned from 2.07 to 5.33 mu m by adjusting the concentrations of GPTMS precursor. The results of confocal microscopy and fluorescence spectrophotometer showed that RB-PGPSQ fluorescent microspheres possessed good fluorescent properties and high photostability.