Effect of acidic aqueous alcohol solution on template sol-gel synthesis of phosphorescent hexagonal mesoporous silica film nanocomposite

Abstract

Here novel mesoporous silica film nanocomposite with a hexagonal structure is successfully synthesized by using phosphorescent columnar assembly of a trinuclear gold(I) pyrazolate complex bearing amphiphilic side chains [Au3Pz3], formed via a weak AuI-AuI metallophilic interaction, as a functional template in the sol-gel synthesis. By controlling the molar ratios of alcohol to acid in an acidic aqueous alcohol solution, the sol-gel synthesis of columnar assembled [Au3Pz3] with a silica source can provide highly ordered hexagonal mesoporous silica film composite [Au3Pz3]/silicahex consisting one-dimensional molecular assembly in the nanoscopic channels. The as-fabricated silica film nanocomposite [Au3Pz3]/silicahex with red emission have phosphorescent properties with luminescence emission centered at 693 nm (ext = 276 nm; Stokes shift,  = 417 nm) and lifetime at 7.8 s (ext = 266 nm, em = 690 nm).