Photoluminescence behavior of poly(quinoline)s in silica glasses via the sol-gel process

A full color display with its spectra covering the entire visible color range using a single polymer is presented here. Different concentrations of poly(2,6-[4-phenylquinoline]) and poly(2,6-[p-phenylene]-4-phenylquinoline) were incorporated into silica gels via the sol-gel technique. At high concentrations, the conjugated polymers form multiple excimers in the channels within the silica network, leading to the emission of red light (similar to600 nm). At low concentrations, the polymer chains are isolated and are being trapped individually in the silica domain, which results in the emission of blue light (similar to400 nm). For concentrations in-between, moderate extensive chain interaction leads to the emission of green, yellow, and orange colors. Therefore, the color tunability can be achieved by simply varying the concentration of quinoline polymers in the silica glasses. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.