SPECTROSCOPIC STUDY OF Eu(fod)3 COMPLEX ADSORBED ON LAMELLAR SILICA: EFFECTS OF AN INCREASED EXTERNAL PRESSURE

INTRODUCTION Lanthanide compounds have successfully been used as light conversion molecular devices (LCMDs) [1], with the mechanism of light conver-sion thought to occur by the energy transfer (UV region) form ligands to the metal, which decays from an excited to a ground state via photon (visi-ble region) emission. Recently [2], silica gel glasses in which Eu(III) chelates were trapped were studied, showing the potential uses of silica as a substrate for LCMDs. Lamellar silica [3–6] can be prepared through the sol-gel process by using neutral amines or dia-mines as template molecules and tetraethylortho-silicate (TEOS) as precursors. Taking into account the presence of nitrogen containing species, such lamellar silica matrix is able to act as a sequestrat-ing agent, promoting the chemisorption of a series of transition metal cations. It is worth noting that in such a matrix, the inorganic substrate is composed of amorphous SiO