Photofunctional ternary rare earth (Eu3+, Tb3+, and Sm3+) hybrid xerogels with hexafluoroacetylacetonate derived building block and bis(2-methoxyethyl)ether through coordination bonds

Hexafluoroacetylacetonate (HFAA) is functionalized with 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propyl isocyanate (TEPIC) to achieve a new molecular building block HFAASi. Then two series ternary hybrid xerogels of rare earth ions (Eu3+, Tb3+, and Sm3+) with HFAASi and special terminal ligands bis(2-methoxyethyl)ether (BME) have been assembled through coordination bonds, whose photoluminescence are studied in details.