Study on the luminescence of sulfosalicylic acid in SiO2–B2O3 xerogels

Eu3+-doped and sulfosalicylic-acid(Sal)-doped SiO2–B2O3 xerogels were prepared separately. The structure of SiO2–B2O3 xerogels was studied by infrared (IR) spectra and fluorescence spectra, and the luminescence of sulfosalicylic acid in SiO2–B2O3 xerogels was discussed. The results show that the relative luminescence intensity of sulfosalicylic acid in SiO2–B2O3 xerogels is twice greater than that in SiO2 xerogels. Furthermore, the intensity of sulfosalicylic acid increases with tributylborate (TMB) content below 30 mol%. Thus, SiO2–B2O3 xerogels are better inorganic matrixes for the luminescence of organic compounds than SiO2 xerogels.