Polymers 2011, 3(4), 2039-2052; doi:10.3390/polym3042039
Article

The Influence of Synthesis Parameters on Particle Size and Photoluminescence Characteristics of Ligand Capped Tb3+:LaF3

Kyle Gipson 1 email, Courtney Kucera 1 email, Derek Stadther 2 email, Kathryn Stevens 1 email, John Ballato 1 email and Phil Brown 1,* email
1 Center for Optical Materials Science & Engineering Technologies (COMSET), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA 2 Department of Physics, Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 11 October 2011; in revised form: 11 November 2011 / Accepted: 17 November 2011 / Published: 29 November 2011
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Optical Applications)
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Abstract: Organic ligand surface-treated Tb3+:LaF3 was synthesized in water and methanol for subsequent incorporation into polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) via solution-precipitation chemistry in order to produce optically active polymer nanocomposites. Nanoparticle agglomerate diameters ranged from 388 ± 188 nm when synthesized in water and 37 ± 2 nm when synthesized in methanol. Suspension stability is paramount for producing optically transparent materials. Methanol nanoparticle synthesized at a pH of 3 exhibited the smallest agglomerate size. Optical spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and zeta potential analysis were used to characterize the particles synthesized.
Keywords: methanol; nanoparticles; agglomerates; acetylsalicylic acid

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MDPI and ACS Style

Gipson, K.; Kucera, C.; Stadther, D.; Stevens, K.; Ballato, J.; Brown, P. The Influence of Synthesis Parameters on Particle Size and Photoluminescence Characteristics of Ligand Capped Tb3+:LaF3. Polymers 2011, 3, 2039-2052.

AMA Style

Gipson K, Kucera C, Stadther D, Stevens K, Ballato J, Brown P. The Influence of Synthesis Parameters on Particle Size and Photoluminescence Characteristics of Ligand Capped Tb3+:LaF3. Polymers. 2011; 3(4):2039-2052.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gipson, Kyle; Kucera, Courtney; Stadther, Derek; Stevens, Kathryn; Ballato, John; Brown, Phil. 2011. "The Influence of Synthesis Parameters on Particle Size and Photoluminescence Characteristics of Ligand Capped Tb3+:LaF3." Polymers 3, no. 4: 2039-2052.

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