Chemiluminescent silicate and aluminosilicate sol–gel glasses

Abstract

Chemiluminescent transparent glass has been prepared by encapsulating luminol, 5-amino-2,3-dihydrophthalazine-1,4-dione, in silicate and aluminosilicate glass prepared by using the sol–gel technique. Chemiluminescence is initiated by exposing the glass to a basic solution containing H₂O₂. The reactions take place in the interior pores of the glass. The spectra of both the chemiluminescence and the photoluminescence are obtained from the gels and xerogels as well as from comparison solutions. Solvatochromic shifts and the wavelengths of the emission maxima are used to probe the solvent composition in the pores of the glass. The chemiluminescence reactions take place in polar, protic environments. Total intensity versus time curves are measured. The onset of luminescence in aluminosilicate glass occurs long after addition of the initiating peroxide solution and persists for hours. The delayed onset in both types of glass is a result of slower transport processes in the porous material than in solution.