Hybrid luminescence materials assembled by [Ln(DPA)3]3− and mesoporous host through ion-pairing interactions with high quantum efficiencies and long lifetimes

A kind of mesoporous hybrid luminescence material was assembled through the ion exchange method between [Ln(DPA)3](3-) and ionic liquid functionalized SBA-15. [Ln(DPA)3](3-) was successfully anchored onto positive-charge modified SBA-15 by the strong electrostatic interaction. In [Ln(DPA)3](3-), Ln(3+) ions are in 9-fold coordination through six oxygen atoms of carboxyl groups and three nitrogen atoms of pyridine units, leaving no coordination site for water molecules. Therefore the hybrids possess prominent luminescent properties, SBA-15-IMI-Tb(DPA)3 and SBA-15-IMI-Eu(DPA)3 exhibit high quantum yield values of 63% and 79%, and long lifetimes values of 2.38 ms and 2.34 ms, respectively. Especially, SBA-15-IMI-Eu(DPA)3 presents a high color purity, and the red/orange intensity ratio is as high as 7.6. The excellent luminescence properties and ordered mesoporous structures give rise to many potential applications in optical and electronic areas.