Eu@PMMA and Sm@PMMA nanofibers prepared by electrospinning: structure, morphology, luminescence and magnetic properties

Abstract

In this work, the Eu(III) and Sm(III) coordination polymers {[Eu(2-stp)₂(H₂O)₆]·2(4,4′-bipy)·4(H₂O)}, denoted as (1), and {[Sm(2-stp)₂(H₂O)₂]·2(4,4′-bipy)·5(H₂O)}_n, denoted as (2), (2-stp = 2-sulfoterephthalate and 4,4′-bipy = 4,4′-bipyridine) were synthesized. Different concentrations of these complexes were combined with the polymer matrix of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) via the electrospinning technology to form a series of Eu@PMMA and Sm@PMMA nanofibers. The morphology, structure, luminescence and magnetic properties of the synthesized materials were investigated by a variety of techniques. The results indicated that the photostability and thermal stability of the composite nanofibers were greatly improved because the PMMA provided a solid environment for the complexes. Moreover, as the incorporation of complexes into PMMA increased, the luminescence intensities were significantly enriched and the emission color coordinates changed with the concentration of the complexes in the PMMA substrate. Color tunability was achieved with the luminescence changing from reddish orange in the bulk state to near-white light in nanofiber stage.