Title: Fluorescence of nanocomposite materials with hydroxyl-functionalised ionic liquid confined into mesoporous silica gel

Authors: Juan Zhang; Juan Yuan; Jing Yang; Qiujuan Ma

Addresses: School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450008, China ' School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450008, China ' School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450008, China ' School of Pharmacy, Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, 450008, China

Abstract: Nanocomposite materials (IL-sg) of hydroxyl-functionalised ionic liquid 1-hydroxyethyl-3-methlyimidazolium dicyanamide E_OHMImN(CN)₂ physically confined into mesoporous silica gel are synthesised according to a proper sol-gel process. The silica gel has disordered wormhole-like pore structure and average pore diameter of 3.3-6.2 nm. The materials exhibit notably enhanced fluorescence emissions compared with pure IL. The hydroxyl group on the cation of IL has an obvious effect on the fluorescence emissions of pure IL and the materials, i.e. the emission intensity of pure E_OHMImN(CN)₂ is c.a. 1.8 times stronger than that of pure IL 1-ethyl-3-methlyimidazolium dicyanamide EMImN(CN)₂, however, the emission intensity of E_OHMImN(CN)₂-sg is c.a. two times weaker than that of EMImN(CN)₂-sg.

Keywords: nanocomposites; ionic liquid; sol-gel; fluorescence; emission; mesoporous silica gel; pore structure; nanotechnology; hydroxyl.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2013.056058

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2013 Vol.9 No.3/4, pp.320 - 329

Received: 04 Dec 2012
Accepted: 24 Jan 2013
Published online: 31 Mar 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article