Functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles as a catalyst to synthesize a luminescent polymer/silica nanocomposite

Abstract

A bi-functionalized silica nanoparticle catalyst was synthesized by both generating rare earth oxide nanoparticles in the pore channels of the mesoporous silica support and grafting salicylaldimine cobalt complex on the surface of the silica. The nanocatalyst shows a strong green luminescence upon irradiation with ultraviolet light and also shows high activity for the polymerization of isoprene. The core–shell structure of this nanocomposite can protect the rare earth oxide from dissolving in hydrochloric acid. This process could produce a novel luminescent polymer/silica composite, and the polymer/silica nanocomposite formed also shows green luminescence.