Yong-Kwang Jeong

Synthesis and Photophysical Properties of an Eu(II)-Complex/PS Blend: Role of Ag Nanoparticles in Surface-Enhanced Luminescence

A novel Eu(II) complex with 2-ethylhexyl hydrogen 2-ethylhexyl phosphonate (EHHEHP or PC88A) was synthesized and blended with polystyrene polymer (PS). Both an independent complex and the Eu(II)/PS blend excited by near-UV light produced blue luminescence, arising from the 5d→ 4f transitions of Eu(II). Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations on electronic structures of the complex molecule indicated that the absorbing and emitting center was associated with the (2)A(d(z(2))) state under the C(2) crystal field. We also synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with an average particle size of 4.48 nm (σ = 0.91 nm) using EHHEHP as a stabilizer. The effects of Ag NPs as a colloidal suspension and an interfacial layer on the luminescence intensity of the blend were investigated as functions of the concentration of Ag NPs and the thickness of the Ag NP layer, respectively. The critical concentration of the colloidal Ag NPs and the critical thickness of the interfacial Ag NP layer were ∼355 ppm and ∼0.16 μm, respectively. Under critical conditions, the Ag NPs increased the luminescence intensity by 4.4 times as a colloidal suspension in CH(2)Cl(2) and 2.2 times as an interfacial-layer state.

Synthesis and characterization of Eu(III)-incorporated silica nanoparticles for application to UV-LED

A tetrakis(dibenzylmethanido) Eu(III) complex as a ultraviolet (UV) excited phosphor was synthesized, and incorporated with mesoporous silica as core-shell (CS), outer-shell (OS) and intermediate-shell (IS) architectures, using a combination of the self-organization process and the Stöber method. Exciting the Eu(III) complex at UV light produced a strong sensitized red-emission from Eu(III) by energy transfer from the ligand. Phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes (pc-LEDs) were fabricated by casting the powdered complex and the incorporated silica nanoparticles onto a 365-nm InGaN chip, and their optical properties and thermal stability were investigated in terms of the chromaticity index and the intensity decay, respectively. The CS silica nanoparticle casted UV-LED exhibited the best perfomence with strong intensity and excellent thermal stability.

Structural and photophysical properties of HPPCO (4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-6H-pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazol-6-one) derivatives.

Proton-substitution effects of 4-hydroxy-5-phenyl-6H-pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazol-6-one (HPPCO) on structural and photophysical properties were presented. HPPCO crystallized in the orthorhombic space group Pbca with an intermolecular hydrogen bonding between OH and oxygen atom of the carbonyl. The proton-substituted derivatives, 6-oxo-5-phenyl-6H-pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazol-4-yl acetate (OPPCA) and 6-oxo-5-phenyl-6H-pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazol-4-yl benzoate (OPPCB), crystallized in the monoclinic P2₁/c space group. For OPPCA and OPPCB, a weak interaction between carbonyl oxygen atom in the substituted group and carbon atom in the fused ring was responsible for three-dimensional arrangements. In addition, 6-oxo-5-phenyl-6H-pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazol-4-yl furan-2-carboxylate (OPPCF), and 6-oxo-5-phenyl-6H-pyrido[3,2,1-jk]carbazol-4-yl naphthoate (OPPCN) were also synthesized. HPPCO and the four derivatives excited by ultraviolet (UV) light produced blue emission. Proton substitution of the OH group significantly increased the radiative transitions and moderately decreased the non-radiative transitions. Consequently the luminescence quantum yields of the derivatives enhanced more than 4.6-fold, no matter what the groups were substituted. Structural and optical properties were further determined using density functional theory (DFT) and ZINDO calculations. The planar structure of the pyridocarbazole-fused ring resulted in π→π(*) electronic transitions within the main frame, with an additional transition from the n(O) of carbonyl to the π(*) of the main frame. The three excited states that arose from these transitions were responsible for the blue luminescence.