Optical and magnetic nanocomposites containing Fesub(3)Osub(4)@SiOsub(2) grafted with Eusup(3+) and Tbsup(3+) complexes

Abstract

The fabrication of bifunctional nanocomposites, co-assembling photonic (RE3+) and magnetic (Fe3O4) features into single entity nanostructures is reported through a facile method, using Fe3O4 as core nanoparticles, which were coated with SiO2 shell and further grafted with Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes. The sophisticated structural features and morphologies of the core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2-(TTA-RE-L) nanomaterials were studied by Small-angle X-ray Scattering. The core mean size (DSAXS), shell thickness ΔR, cluster size ξ and fractal dimension DF were determined by fitting the experimental SAXS data, corroborating through Transmission Electron Microscopy images. The DC magnetic properties at temperatures of 2 and 300 K were explored in support to the structural conclusions from SAXS and TEM analyses. The magnetic contributions of the RE3+ ions to the magnetizations of the Eu3+ and Tb3+ nanocomposites were discussed. The photoluminescence properties of the Eu3+ and Tb3+ nanocomposites based on the emission spectral data and luminescence decay curves were studied. The experimental intensity parameters (Ωλ), lifetimes (τ), emission quantum efficiencies (η) as well as radiative (Arad) and non-radiative (Anrad) decay rates were calculated and discussed, in addition, the structural conclusions from the values of the 4f-4f intensity parameters in the case of the Eu3+ ion. These novel Eu3+ and Tb3+ nanocomposites may act as red and green emitting layers for magnetic and light converting molecular devices.