Facile synthesis of water-soluble luminescent mesoporousTb(OH)3@SiO2 core-shell nanospheres

Journal Article

Ansari, Anees A . 2013

• Publication Online URL: http://nanoscalereslett.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/1556-276X-8-163
• Magazine \ Newspaper: Nanoscale Research Letters
• Volume Number: 8:163
• Pages: 1-8

Publication Abstract

Luminescent mesoporous Tb(OH)3@SiO2 core-shell nanospheres were synthesized through W/O microemulsion
process at ambient temperature. The negatively charged silica favors a coating of the positively charged Tb3+
composite. Thus, silicon layer was adsorbed on the surface of Tb(OH)3 groups to form Tb-O-Si through electrostatic
interaction. X-ray diffraction, field emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray
spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared, UV/Visible, and photoluminescence spectroscopies were applied to
examine the phase purity, crystallinity, surface morphology, and optical properties of the core-shell nanospheres.
The FE-TEM results have revealed typically ordered mesoporous characteristics of the material with monodisperse
spherical morphology in a narrow size distribution. The luminescent mesoporous core-shell nanospheres exposed
remarkable splitting with broadening in the emission transition 5D4 → 7F5 (543 nm). In addition, the luminescent
mesoporous core-shell nanospheres emit strong green fluorescence (from Tb3+) in the middle of the visible region
under 325 nm (3.8) excitation. The luminescent mesoporous Tb(OH)3@SiO2 core-shell nanospheres can therefore be
exploited as fluorescent probes in biomarkers or biolabeling, optical sensing, and drug delivery system. Further,
these nanospheres could have potential use as scattering layers in dye-sensitized solar cells.
Keywords: Luminescent mesoporous Tb(OH)3@SiO2 core-shell nanospheres, Optical properties, Photoluminescence