A CA-Eu(III) complex was synthesized by the coordination reaction of cellulose acetate (CA) and Eu3+ to obtain a CA-Eu light conversion film. This product was then doped with Tb(III) to sensitize the luminescence of Eu3+, which could functionalize the CA film. FTIR and XPS showed that the oxygen atoms in C=O, C–O (O=C–O), and O–H were involved in the complexation with Eu3+ and formed a Eu–O bond. SEM revealed that Eu3+ filled in the pores of the CA film. By changing the experimental conditions, the best fluorescence performance was obtained at the CA: Eu3+ ratio of 3:1 with a reaction time of 65 min. The energy transfer between Tb3+–Eu3+ could be realized by doping Tb3+ to enhance the luminescence of Eu3+. The best fluorescence performance of the CA-Eu-Tb light conversion film was at a Eu3+:Tb3+ ratio of 3:1. Compared with the CA film, the light conversion film has high transparency, high tensile strength, and good flexibility. It can convert the ultraviolet light harmful to plants into red light that is beneficial to photosynthesis. This offers high efficiency and environmental protection in the field of agricultural films.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel has a very wide range of applications in agriculture, military, industry, and other fields. As a widely used water-soluble polymer, PVA has good mechanical properties, excellent spinnability, good hydrophilicity, remarkable physical and chemical stability, good film formation, is non-polluting, and exhibits good natural degradation and biocompatibility. It is an ideal gel preparation material. Incorporation of rare-earth elements into PVA polymers can be used to prepare rare-earth luminescent gel materials. Results show that the luminescent efficiency of complexes is mainly related to their structure, ligand substituents, synergists, and the electronic configuration of doped rare-earth ions. Fluorescent gel films were prepared by adding europium, terbium, and europium/terbium co-doped into PVA, and their fluorescence properties were compared and analyzed. It was found that, in addition to the above factors, the sensitization of terbium to europium, and the fluorescence-quenching effect of hydroxyl groups, will influence the fluorescence properties. This has opened a new route for the application of rare-earth materials and may have value in the field of new materials.
8 November 2021 in Macromolecular Materials and Engineering