Functionalization of sol-gel zirconia composites with europium complexes

Different sol-gel strategies based on functionalization of ZrO2:Eu microparticles with 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) and incorporation of colloidal Eu(phen)2(NO3)3 into zirconia have been used to obtain hybrid sol-gel composites with controlled optical properties. The process leads to materials with quantum yields of about 48 % monitoring the 615 nm emission line at 350 nm excitation. Excitation/luminescence spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction have been used to characterize the hybrid zirconia composites. (orig.)