Synthesis of polystyrene colloidal particles loaded with rare-earth doped inorganic nanoparticles and characterization of the resulting photoluminescent polymerized crystalline colloidal arrays

COLL 303

David D. Evanoff Jr., evanoff@clemson.edu1, Baris Kokuoz, bkokuoz@CLEMSON.EDU1, Stephen F. Foulger, foulger@clemson.edu1, and John Ballato, jballato@exchange.clemson.edu2. (1) Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Clemson University, 148 Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, 91 Technology Drive, Anderson, SC 29625, (2) School of Materials Science, Clemson University, Hunter Laboratories, Anderson, SC 29625
Monodispersed polystyrene colloidal particles loaded with europium and/or terbium doped lanthanum fluoride nanoparticles were synthesized using a modified suspension polymerization approach. The doped polystyrene particles were coaxed into a crystalline colloidal array via electrostatic repulsion and further encapsulated in a hydrogel matrix. The photoluminescent response of the rare-earths was recorded under mechanochromic tuning of the polymerized array in order to selectively couple the emission of the rare-earths with the photonic band gap of the array. The results of this spectroscopic study, as well as the full characterization of the polystyrene composite particles are presented.
 

Polymer-Nanoparticle Systems: Theory, Simulation, Experiments
9:00 AM-12:00 PM, Tuesday, April 8, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Rm. 227, Oral

Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008