Emission based response of Er3+, Tb3+, and Er3+-Tb3+ co-doped 1393 bioactive glasses along with HPTS towards CO2

Abstract

The HPTS serves as a versatile tool in pH and CO2 sensing studies, as well as in cell biology studies of various processes. However, the long-term photostability of HPTS as a fluorescent dye is an important consideration in its use, especially for long-term applications. In this work, sol–gel synthesized Er3+, Tb3+ and Er3+: Tb3+ co-doped 1393 bioactive glass particles were incorporated with the HPTS in the presence of ionic liquid in an ethyl cellulose matrix. The interaction of the bioactive glasses with the HPTS was investigated by steady-state luminescence and excited-state lifetime measurements. The prepared composites showed linearizable responses when exposed to different CO2 concentrations. High I0/I100 values (87, 109 and 115) were obtained for the binary blends of HPTS and bioactive glasses. When the imidazolium-based IL was used together with the offered composites, we observed improved stability and longevity for the HPTS up to 315 days. The incorporation of imidazolium-based ionic liquids as additives in HPTS-based fluorescence assays together with the bioactive glasses holds promise for enhancing the photostability of the HPTS and improving the reliability and longevity of fluorescence signals in various research applications.