Luminescence properties of Eu(III) complex/polyvinylpyrrolidone electrospun composite nanofibers

Herein, we report that an innovative type of 1D nanomaterials, electrospun composite nanofibers (diameters ∼175 (±25 nm) containing a complex of Eu(TTA) ₃phen in a matrix of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), was prepared and characterized, and their luminescent properties were evaluated. The study revealed that, when the content of Eu(TTA) ₃phen was low (i.e., less than 23 wt %), the Eu(TTA) ₃phen was predominantly distributed in the composite nanofibers as molecular clusters and/or nanoscaled particles with sizes smaller than 10 nm; this substantially enhanced intermolecular interactions between individual Eu(TTA) ₃phen molecules and the neighboring chain segments of PVP. The Judd-Ofelt theory was used to study the effect of the dispersion of Eu(TTA) ₃phen on the local chemical environment of Eu ³⁺ ions. The composite nanofibers demonstrated a significant improvement of luminescent efficiency compared with neat Eu(TTA) ₃phen.