Tunable photoluminescence from a material made by the interaction between (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and organic acids

This work describes the synthesis and properties of a material with unusual photophysical behavior. The material, a gel, is made by interaction of (3- aminopropyl)triethoxysilane with a carboxylic acid under oxygen- and water- free conditions through a sol-gel process, and it emits different colors by excitation at different wavelengths, scanning the whole visibe spectrum. T he wavelength of maximum emission varies with the nanostructure of the mate rial. Colloidal solutions and fresh samples mainly emit in the blue region, while aged samples mainly emit in the yellow. The material is soluble in w ater and alcohols.