Optical Properties of Nanostructures Obtained by Encapsulation of Cation Chromophores in Y Zeolite

• Published in: Journal of physical chemistry. C Vol. 114; no. 24; pp. 10719 - 10724
• Main Authors: Neves, Isabel C, Cunha, Celina, Pereira, Mário R, Pereira, Manuel F. R, Fonseca, António M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Chemical Society 24.06.2010
• Subjects: C: Nanops and Nanostructures
• ISSN: 1932-7447; 1932-7455
• DOI: 10.1021/jp101001a

Several unsaturated cation chromophores have been prepared by ship-in-the-bottle synthesis in the supercages of Y zeolite as a host. The guests were encapsulated into the zeolite in their H+ form in the liquid phase. The chromophores were assembled inside the void space of the zeolite through the reaction of the different aldehydes, 3-phenyl-2-propynal (A), trans,trans-2,4-hexadienal (B), and trans-2-pentenal (C), with the N,N-dimethylaniline. The appropriate synthesis involved using an N,N-dimethylaniline/aldehyde molar ratio of 2:1. The host−guest chromophores obtained have been fully characterized by chemical analysis, spectroscopic methods (FTIR and UV/vis), N2 adsorption isotherms, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Fluorescence studies provided direct evidence that the cation species are located inside the zeolite supercages of these host−guest chromophore materials.