Crescimento de nanocompósitos formados por nanopartículas de prata e complexo luminescente ancorados em substrato de sílica para aplicação em sensores ópticos

Abstract

Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) are an important class of nanomaterials that have fascinated scientists due to their extraordinary optical properties owing to their surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The SPR frequency is strongly dependent of the size, shape, interparticle interactions, dielectric properties and local environment of the nanoparticle. Therefore, NPs have been recognized in optical sensors application mainly due to their high sensitivity and selectivity displayed on devices. Herein, we report the growth of a nanocomposite formed by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) coated with europium complex, [Eu(tta)3(H2O)2], onto the surface of silica substrate. For future application in fiber optic sensors. Specifically, this work offers the opportunity to study the interaction between the SPR of the AgNPs and the fluorescence of the luminescent complex and the changes in the optical properties of the material such as metal enhanced fluorescence (MEF) or the intensification of the absorption. The proposed route of synthesis of the nanocomposite was functional and the results showed the existence of the interaction between the complex absorption band and the surface plasmon band of the AgNPs. In the UV-Vis spectra, red shifts of the π-π* absorption were observed due to electromagnetic interaction between AgNPs and [Eu(tta)3(H2O)2] when the complex cover the surface of the NPs in an organized way (J-aggregates). In photoluminescence spectra, this interaction quenched the luminescence by concentration, that is, by the loss of energy characterized by the J-aggregation on the surface of the AgNPs and by the loss of energy for the metal surface due to absorption competition between the AgNPs and the europium complex. However, when the concentration of the complex is higher, metal enhanced fluorescence was observed because the SPR excites the light emitters near the metal, by dipole-dipole interactions. Thus, the optical properties of the nanocomposite studied here show that this material is an excellent candidate for increasing the sensitivity of the sensors.