Synthesis and luminescence of Eu complex incorporated MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves

Rare earth complex Eu(phen)(2)Cl-3 center dot 2H(2)O synthesized by precipitation method was incorporated into MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves which were synthesized via a hydrothermal method. Hybrid inorganic/organic mesoporous luminescent material Eu(phen)(2)/MCM-41 has been characterized by XRD, TEM, IR, UV-visible spectra and fluorescence spectra. Results indicated that the hybrid mesoporous material has typical structure of MCM-41 and retains the same pore structure as MCM-41 after the assembly process. The fluorescence spectra of these materials present a series of narrow lines assigned to D-5(0) -> F-7(0,1,2,3,4) transitions. The high emission intensity observed is a promising property for application of the rare earth complex in technological luminescent devices.