Enhancement of weak radiative transitions of Eu3+ in thin surfactant films in the presence of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Europium ions were dispersed in reverse micellar solutions of bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) in chloroform and then thin films were obtained by the dip-coating method. Stabilization of the films was achieved in the presence of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The photophysical behavior of Eu3+ fin these composite organic films was studied. It was found that the combination of AOT with PMMA results in efficient dispersion of Eu3+, a decrease of concentration quenching and enhancement of weak radiative transitions, particularly, of the emission corresponding to the D-5(1)-->F-7(1), transition at 538 nm. The importance of the relative polymer and surfactant concentrations as well as some other factors affecting Eu3+ emission are discussed.