Synthesis, characterization and Judd-Ofelt analysis of Sm3+-doped anhydrous Yttrium trimesate MOFs and their Y2O3:Sm3+ low temperature calcination products

The luminescence quenching in RE3+-containing materials (RE: rare earth) has a close dependence with the water content on the first coordination sphere around the activator ions. The hydration content of [RE(TMA)] systems (TMA = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid) is dependent on the RE3+ ionic radius, leading to elements smaller than Gd3+ to form anhydrous matrixes. It is noteworthy that [Sm(TMA).6(H2O)] is hexahydrate, while [Y(TMA)] is anhydrous. In this work, we report the synthesis, characterization and the luminescent properties of [Y(TMA)] anhydrous metal organic frameworks (MOFs) serving as hosts for Sm3+ ions. The materials are synthesized by a quick and easy coprecipitation procedure in aqueous solution. Under calcination at mild conditions (starting at 500 degrees C, benzenecarboxylate method), the precursor complexes are converted into Y2O3:Sm3+ with strong Sm3+ photoluminescence. The compounds were characterized by different techniques (elemental analyses, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, powder X ray diffraction and photoluminescence). The phenomenological intensity parameters (Omega(2,4,6) ) of Sm3+ were determined by a least squares procedure based on the Judd-Ofelt theory.