Synthesis and Optical Properties of Europium-Complex-Doped Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Materials Built from Oxo-Hydroxo Organotin Nano Building Blocks

Hybrid materials doped with novel europium complexes were synthesized using PMMA-co-Sn(12)Clusters (copolymers from oxohydroxo-organotin dimethacrylate and methylmethacrylate) as the matrix material. Two types of hybrid materials were obtained: the physically doped product, PMMA-co-Sn(12)Cluster/Eu(TTA)(3)phen, and the grafted product, PMMA-co-Sn(12)Cluster-co-[EuAA(TTA)(2)phen] (TTA =2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone, phen=phenanthroline and AA=acrylic acid). The hybrid materials exhibited characteristic luminescence of the Eu3+ ions, and also showed relative especial optical properties compared with samples just using PMMA as the matrix material. The PMMA-co-Sn(12)Cluster matrix exhibited a high physical doping quantity of [Eu(TTA)(3)phen], which can be attributed to the special structure of this kind of hybrid material. GPC (gel-permeation chromatography), TGA (thermogravimetric analysis), SEM, H-1 NMR, ICP (inductively coupled plasma), Sn-119 NMR. FTIR. and diffuse reflectance techniques were employed to characterize the structures and properties of these hybrid materials.