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Aggregation of dipolar molecules in SiO2 hybrid organic–inorganic films: use of silver nanoparticles as inhibitors of molecular aggregation

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Abstract

The technological implementation of hybrid organic–inorganic materials in second order nonlinear optical photonic devices depends strongly on the ability of the host matrixes to contain high loads of dipolar molecules without aggregation. Some organic molecules are often used to diminish the attracting interactions between dipolar molecules in such kind of materials, but their efficiency as inhibitors of molecular aggregation is limited by their polarizability. In this work, we report the use of silver nanoparticles as inhibitors of molecular aggregation in hybrid organic–inorganic films doped with dipolar molecules. The large polarizability of the silver nanoparticles makes them ideal moieties for the inhibition of the electrostatic interactions between dipolar nonlinear optical molecules. The average size of the silver nanoparticles in this work was 70.5 nm in diameter, they were synthesized using silver nitrate (AgNO3) as precursor and aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane as reducing agent. These nanoparticles were immersed in SiO2 hybrid organic–inorganic sol–gel films doped with dipolar chromophores to study their effect as inhibitors of dipolar chromophores aggregation. The presence of the silver nanoparticles in the solid films was confirmed by transmission electronic microscopy and UV–Visible spectroscopy. UV–Visible spectroscopy was also used to monitor the dipolar chromophores aggregation in the SiO2 films. We found that, at room temperature, silver nanoparticles are good inhibiting chromophores aggregation in comparison with the performance of organic inhibitors.

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Abbreviations

AgNO3 :

Silver nitrate

AEAPTMS:

Aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane

TEM:

Transmission electronic microscopy

DR1:

Disperse red 1

ENPMA:

Ethyl-[4-(4-nitrophenylazo)-phenyl]-(2-oxiranylmethoxy-ethyl)-amine

TEOS:

Tetraethoxysilane

GPTMS:

(2-Glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane

APTMS:

[3-(2-Aminoethylamino)propyl]trimethoxysilane

PhTES:

Triethoxyphenylsilane

CbOH:

9H-carbazole-9-ethanol

Ph:

Phenyl groups

TS:

Trans-stilbene

BPh:

4,4′-Bis(triethoxysilyl)-1,1′-biphenyl

MeOH:

Methanol

MeOEtOH:

Methoxyethanol

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank to Diego Quiterio for the preparation of samples for TEM studies and to Roberto Hernández-Reyes for TEM technical assistance. The authors also thank to CONACYT 79781, NSF-CONACYT, PUNTA, RedNyN, PAPIIT IN107510, FIRB Italian project RBNE033KMA “Molecular compounds and hybrid nanostructured material with resonant and non-resonant optical properties for photonic devices” and UNAM-UNIPD agreement for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Estado Sólido, Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

    Alfredo Franco & Jorge García-Macedo

  2. Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via Marzolo 9, 35131, Padua, Italy

    Alfredo Franco, Giovanna Brusatin & Massimo Guglielmi

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  1. Alfredo Franco
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  2. Jorge García-Macedo
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  4. Massimo Guglielmi
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Correspondence to Alfredo Franco.

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Franco, A., García-Macedo, J., Brusatin, G. et al. Aggregation of dipolar molecules in SiO2 hybrid organic–inorganic films: use of silver nanoparticles as inhibitors of molecular aggregation. J Nanopart Res 15, 1546 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-1546-0

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