THE THERMAL PREPARATION OF LUMINESCENT PMMA COMPOSITE USING CITRIC ACID AND ETHYLENEDIAMINE

Abstract

Water resistant, air-stable and luminescent composites have a great potential for outdoor light-conversion applications. Mixing luminescent materials and polymers is a convenient method for the preparation of composites but it is requited by luminescence quenching induced by the aggregation of the luminescent component. Herein, we have demonstrated the preparation of luminescent composite by simple thermal annealing a mixture of PMMA, citric acid, and ethylenediamine at temperatures below 200^oC. UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescent spectroscopies were employed to study the optical properties of the luminescent composites. The resultant composite exhibits a characteristic absorption peak at 346 nm, a broad emission spectrum maximizing at 460 nm and an excitation peak at about 370 nm. The similarity in the absorption and emission properties between the composite and a reference sample prepared by hydrothermal treatment a mixture of citric acid and ethylene diamine indicates that IPCA fluorophore formed homogeneously in PMMA accounts for the optical properties of the composite.