Fullerene-driven encapsulation of a luminescent Eu(iii) complex in carbon nanotubes

Laura Maggini, Melinda Emese Füstös, Thomas W. Chamberlain, Cristina Cebrián, Mirco Natali, Marek Pietraszkiewicz, Oksana Pietraszkiewicz, Edit Székely, Katalin Kamarás, Luisa De Cola, Andrei N. Khlobystov, Davide Bonifazi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A novel CNT-based hybrid luminescent material was obtained via encapsulation of a C60-based Eu(iii) complex into single-, double- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs, DWCNTs and MWCNTs, respectively). Specifically, a luminescent negatively charged Eu(iii) complex, electrostatically bonded to an imidazolium-functionalized fullerene cage, was transported inside CNTs by exploiting the affinity of fullerenes for the inner surface of these carbonaceous containers. The filling was performed under supercritical CO2 (scCO2) conditions to facilitate the entrapment of the ion-paired assembly. Accurate elemental, spectroscopic and morphological characterization not only demonstrated the efficiency of the filling strategy, but also the occurrence of nano-ordering of the encapsulated supramolecular luminophores when SWCNTs were employed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2887-2894
Number of pages8
JournalNanoscale
Volume6
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Mar 2014

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