Light Harvesting Molecular Assemblies in the Design of Highly Luminescent Sol-Gel Derived Glasses

ABSTRACTSol-gel derived molecular composites exhibiting intense luminescence, induced from efficient energy transduction processes, have been prepared. The composites are comprised of an Eu3+⊂ 2.2.1 cryptate complex or native Eu3+ ion embedded in sol-gel derived titania glass films. The titania glasses contain interconnected porous networks that permit the diffusion of exogenous substrates, such as the salts of benzoic and 4-tert-butylbenzoic acids, through the film. Interaction of the substrate with the embedded lanthanide complex is indicated by enhanced luminescence from the lanthanide ion. The carboxylic acid salts whose electronic excited states are produced upon capture of incident photons, undergo facile transfer of their electronic energy to the lanthanide ion. By monitoring europium ion luminescence, the diffusion constants of the benzoate and 4-tert-butylbenzoate salts have been measured. Although the diffusion of the 4-tert-butylbenzoate is slower than that of benzoate, the overall higher sensitivity of the former is consistent with hydrophobic guest-host interactions. These new molecular composites relying on the immobilization of an absorption-energytransfer- emission molecular assembly in porous, optically transparent ceramic glasses may be useful in the design of practical sensing devices.