White-Light-Emitting AIE/Eu³⁺-Doped Ion Gel with Multistimuli-Responsive Properties

Abstract

A white-light-emitting ion gel composed of a poly [(2-(4vinylphenyl)ethene-1,1,2-triyl)tribenzene-b-ethylene glycol-b-(2-(4-vinylphenyl)ethene-1,1,2-triyl)tribenzene] aggregation-induced emission (AIE) network and a poly([2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridin]-4′-yl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate) Eu 3+doped network was fabricated via a solution mixing process. This ion gel exhibits special multistimuli-responsive properties, and it can change its luminescent color by changing pH, temperature, or the solvent. The unique color-changing property is attributed to the different luminescent mechanisms of the AIE/Eu 3+ -doped polymer networks. The former is affected by changes in its aggregation state, while the latter is controlled by the dynamic metal−ligand cross-linking bonds. Furthermore, owing to the interpenetrating networks formed by the two polymers, the hybrid gel has both good mechanical strength and flexibility. It may be used in the fields of sensors, probes, and light-emitting materials.

Carbon nanodot-induced Eu3+-based fluorescent polymeric hydrogel for excellent phase-separation absorption of VOC

“…26 To date, the most reported lanthanide-based gels show advanced applications in optics, sensors, biolabeling (bioimaging), displays and biomimetic materials. [27][28][29][30][31][32] However, there have been few reports of lanthanide gels involving environment remediation. Applications of lanthanide gels for environmental applications, such as absorption, separation, as well as catalysis, have received little attention.…”

A review of recent advances in metal ion hydrogels: mechanism, properties and their biological applications

“…2B). 84,85 The degree of protonation and deprotonation of groups changed by pH changes as well as the interaction between host and guest affected the interaction between metal ions and groups, making metal ions respond to pH changes (Fig. 2C).…”

Functional Copolymers Married with Lanthanide(III) Ions: A Win-Win Pathway to Fabricate Rare Earth Fluorescent Materials with Multiple Applications

“…Another way, the red color-emitting Eu 3+ and green color-emitting Tb 3+ are the two commonly used ions in luminescence engineering, which can be used to prepare white luminescence materials upon mixing them with a third component with blue color emission. , For example, Maji and co-workers independently obtained the white luminescence materials by coordinating Eu 3+ and Tb 3+ to the blue-emitting ligands, producing an organogel network upon careful tuning of the Eu 3+ /Tb 3+ ratio. Furthermore, Fan and co-workers reported an ion gel with white emission behavior (CIE = 0.31 and 0.32) and multiple stimulus responses, which was obtained by mixing blue light-emitting polymers with the red-emitting complex of Eu 3+ . Feng and colleagues designed and synthesized a white light-emitting polymer composite film (CIE = 0.31, 0.32) by using blue carbon dots and lanthanide complexes with Eu 3+ and Tb 3+ .…”