Luminescence properties of lanthanide complexes incorporated into sol-gel derived inorganic-organic composite materials

Lanthanide complexes such as [Tb(bpy)(2)]Cl-3 and [Eu(phen)(2)]Cl-3 incorporated into the organically modified silicates (ormosil) were prepared and their luminescence properties measured. The ormosil composite materials incorporated with [Tb(bpy)(2)]Cl-3 and [Eu(phen)(2)]Cl-3 had green and red emissions and, by optimization of the complex concentration amounts and heat treatment conditions, they provided emission intensities with 100 and 80%, respectively, of those for conventional phosphors used as lamp illumination. The resulting composite materials also possessed excellent mechanical strength, hydrolytic stability, and, consequently good durability for the emissions from the lanthanide compositions after being exposed to laboratory atmosphere for 100 days. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.