Self-assembly,microstructure and photoluminescence properties of nanocomposite mesoporous silica loaded with In 2 O 3 and In 2 O 3 –SnO 2

Abstract

The mesoporous nanocomposite fabricated by self-assembly has many unique properties compared with the original materials. In₂O₃ (IO) and In₂O₃–SnO₂ (ITO) in mesoporous silica were studied in the present paper. They were self-assembled in a nanoscale mesoporous silica by an adsorption–annealing process. The composite of IO and ITO in mesoporous silica was characterised by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and nitrogen sorption isotherms. Photoluminescence spectra of the samples were measured by a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results show that the composite was synthesised from IO and ITO in a nano-scale mesoporous silica with assembly structure, and bulk mesoporous silica is easier to be loaded by the particles than the sheet one, but the specific surface area decreases with increasing atomic weight of the substances loaded in silica mesoporous. The results also show that the mesoporous composite doped with some substance may enhance the effect of photoluminescence. For instance, the mesoprous composite of IO/SiO₂ has an enhancement in the effect of photoluminescence, and that of the mesoprous nanocomposite of ITO/SiO₂ is greater. Mesoporous nanocomposite is a promising photoluminescence material in the application to industry.