title: Optical spectroscopy following the incorporation of a rare-earth containing (Eu) polyoxometalate into a sol-gel derived media.
abstract: Polyoxometalates (POMs) are an emerging class of materials which can be considered as inorganic complexes with distinct structural and optical characteristics. To be suitable in biomedical applications such as imaging, the materials may need to be embedded in a suitable host material, which may affect the optical properties of the emitting polyoxometalate. Here, we demonstrate that POMs can successfully be included into a sol-gel derived silica matrix. We report on the effects of one such potential host on the luminescence excitation and emission spectra, as well as the POM luminescence decay times. It appears that the POMs do not interact with the bulk oxide of the matrix, but are retained within the hosts' internal pore structure.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física, Universidade de Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hungerford
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suhling
mesh_terms: D005063:Europium / Q000737:chemistry*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D044367:Phase Transition; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D017973:Tungsten Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D000099294:Polyoxometalates
chemical_list: D005063:Europium; D010087:Oxides; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D017973:Tungsten Compounds; C102296:polyoxometalate I; D000099294:Polyoxometalates