Transparent Zeolite–Polymer Hybrid Materials with Adaptable Properties

Abstract

We report here on a simple preparation procedure for highly transparent zeolite‐polymer hybrid materials and polymer covered zeolite L monolayers. Wrapping up zeolites containing, e.g., dye molecules as guest species with alkoxysilane derivatives results in an efficient dispersion of the nano particles into the organic liquid monomer. The following copolymerisation process leads to a hard, insoluble and transparent material containing zeolites. Optical properties such as colour, luminescence, refractive index or photochromism can be adapted by simply changing the type and amount of the guest in the zeolite crystals, while transparency is maintained.

Self-organized patterns of microparticles in polymer films

“…ZL/polymer composite films are of particular interest for optical applications, as the optical properties of the films can be changed by choosing suitable guests for the ZL crystals. [6,10,11]. The guests thereby do not necessarily need to be compatible with the polymer.…”

Quantum Yield Measurement of Fluorescent Zeolite Nanopigments

“…[3,11,12] Other functionalities can be added by functionalizing the external surface of the dye-loaded zeolite L and by embedding it into a polymer matrix. [13,14] This opens the way to the use of fluorescent zeolite pigments for the fabrication of, for example, lenses, absorbing and fluorescent filters, polarizers, windows, optical data storage and light emitting devices, light harvesting materials, and fluorescence concentrators. [13,[15][16][17] Knowing the quantum yield of the zeolite nanoparticles is of paramount importance for the realization and the optimization of the optical devices mentioned above.…”

“…[13,14] This opens the way to the use of fluorescent zeolite pigments for the fabrication of, for example, lenses, absorbing and fluorescent filters, polarizers, windows, optical data storage and light emitting devices, light harvesting materials, and fluorescence concentrators. [13,[15][16][17] Knowing the quantum yield of the zeolite nanoparticles is of paramount importance for the realization and the optimization of the optical devices mentioned above. Nevertheless, in spite of the intense research effort on zeolite hybrid pigments, little can be found in the literature on this fundamental property.…”

Fluorescent nanopigments: Quantitative assessment of their quantum yield

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Moreover, functionalizing the external surface of the these fluorescent nanoparticles and embedding them into a dielectric ͑e.g., polymer͒ matrix has enabled the realization of a large variety of novel optophotonic devices. [9][10][11][12][13][14] Recently, due to the wealth of existing organic fluorescent dyes, their encapsulation into either an inorganic or an organic host has been demonstrated to be a very promising and versatile approach to synthesize a large palette of new fluorescent pigments. In particular, both organic-inorganic [14][15][16] and organic-organic [17][18][19] host-guest nanosystems have been extensively developed for the chemical, photochemical or thermal stabilization and the supramolecular organization of organic fluorescent dye molecules, complexes, and clusters.…”

“…[9][10][11][12][13][14] Recently, due to the wealth of existing organic fluorescent dyes, their encapsulation into either an inorganic or an organic host has been demonstrated to be a very promising and versatile approach to synthesize a large palette of new fluorescent pigments. In particular, both organic-inorganic [14][15][16] and organic-organic [17][18][19] host-guest nanosystems have been extensively developed for the chemical, photochemical or thermal stabilization and the supramolecular organization of organic fluorescent dye molecules, complexes, and clusters. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] The most common examples of such systems are ͑i͒ nanoporous zeolites: besides their widespread commercial use as catalysts and ion-exchangers, 26 due to their nanoporous framework consisting of nanochannels with a minimal diameter of several angstrom, they have been used as inorganic hosts for the encapsulation of different organic molecules, 2,20-22,27-31 ͑ii͒ mesoporous silica particles: because of their uniform porosity, they have been recently proposed as promising inorganic hosts with an adjustable pore size in the range of 1-10 nm, 32-35 ͑iii͒ silica nanoparticles: once loaded with fluorescent organic dyes, these inorganic nanohosts have been shown to possess interesting physical-chemical and photochemical properties, [36][37][38][39][40] ͑iv͒ fluorescent polymer nanoparticles: as stable organic hosts, they have attracted both research 6,8,[17][18][19]23,25,41 and commercial 42 interest for the development and the fabrication of novel functional materials; ͑v͒ organic-organic supramolecular complexes: they have been developed using organic macromolecules as hosts that can encapsulate small organic ...…”