The fluorescence properties of inorganic and organically-modified rare
-earth-doped sol-gel silica are presented. Eu3+-doped ornosils were pr
epared from Si(OCH3)(4) and CH3Si(OCH3)(3), (CH3)(2)Si(OCH3)(2), (CH3)
(2)Si(OC2H5)(2), or (n-C3H7)Si(OCH3)(3) in various proportions. Er3+-d
oped ornosils were prepared using Si(OC2H5)(4) and CH3Si(OC2H5)(3), (C
H3)(2)Si(OC2H5)(2), or C2H5Si(OC2H5)(3). Gels derived from Si(OCH3)(4)
were also doped with the fluorinated Eu3+ precursors Eu(fod)(3), (CF3
SO3)(3)Eu, and (CF3CO2)(3)Eu.3H(2)O. The effect of metal ion codopants
, which are known to inhibit clustering of Eu3+ in sol-gel silica, on
Er3+ fluorescence is also considered. Fluorescence line-narrowing stud
ies of Eu3+-doped samples indicated that significant Eu3+ clustering o
ccurs in both the ornosils and fluorinated precursor compositions. Lif
etime measurements of the Eu3+- and Er3+-doped ornosils showed longer
lifetimes at low heat treatment temperatures relative to purely inorga
nic sol-gel silica, but no significant difference remained in fully de
nsified samples. The longest lifetimes were observed for samples doped
with the fluorinated precursors, indicating that the fluorinated liga
nds are effective at reducing the water content in densified gels.