Narrow Results

The sol-gel method has been employed in the fabrication of mesoporous composite films consisting of a nonionic surfactant, Pluronic P123, as the organic component, and silica as the inorganic component. The hybrid nature of these films resulted in their having an internal structure consisting of nanometer size self-assembled organic mesostructures surrounded by a silica framework. These films served as the host matrix for the laser dye coumarin 481 (C481) and an energy transfer complex formed between C481 and J-aggregated meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TSPP). Upon exposure to methanol vapor, a rapid and reversible decrease in fluorescence intensity occurs for films containing C481 alone as well as containing both C481 and TSPP. Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic studies suggest that the decrease in fluorescence intensity is primarily due to an excited state interaction between methanol and C481; while, additionally, morphological changes within the film appear to play a role for films containing both C481 and TSPP.

The sol-gel method has been employed in the fabrication of mesoporous composite films consisting of a nonionic surfactant, Pluronic P123, as the organic component, and silica as the inorganic component. The hybrid nature of these films resulted in their having an internal structure consisting of nanometer size self-assembled organic mesostructures surrounded by a silica framework. These films served as the host matrix for the laser dye coumarin 481 (C481) and an energy transfer complex formed between C481 and J-aggregated meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TSPP). Upon exposure to methanol vapor, a rapid and reversible decrease in fluorescence intensity occurs for films containing C481 alone as well as containing both C481 and TSPP. Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic studies suggest that the decrease in fluorescence intensity is primarily due to an excited state interaction between methanol and C481; while, additionally, morphological changes within the film appear to play a role for films containing both C481 and TSPP.