A new strategy to prepare high luminescent films containing polypropylene and polyamide doped with Eu3+ β-diketonate complex

Abstract

A new strategy for obtaining stable luminescent polypropylene (PP) one polymer among the most consumed plastic materials is reported. PP is a polymer of nonpolar olefinic macrochains, preventing direct doping with rare earth complexes. The synthesis of the polyamide (PA) polymer doped with hydrated complex [Eu (tta)3(H2O)2] and its encapsulation in PP polymer produced a luminescent material stable under processing conditions of the plastic films as never been seen before. The preparation of the Eu3+ β-diketonate complex and polyamide solution produced a high luminescent material. The processed polymeric films doped in different concentration fo the europium complex were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), emission spectroscopy, and thermogravimetry (TG). The emission spectra of the luminescent doped polymeric films exhibited the characteristic narrow bands arising from the 5 D0 → 7 FJ transitions (J = 0–4) of the Eu3+ ion. The values of the Ω2 and Ω4 experimental intensity parameters were calculated and discussed. The high values of the intrinsic emission quantum yields (QEu Eu) of the PA:[Eu(tta)3(H2O)2] systems suggest that these films can be applied as optical markers as well as the encapsulated systems of the (PP) as PP/PA:(x%)Eu(tta)3 films (x = 1, 5, and 10 %). The stability was promoted via PP encapsulation resulting in a luminescent plastic film with high stability under processing.