Surfactant-Free, Fluorescent Gel with Increased Light Emittance

Abstract

UCF researchers have created a surfactant-free, water-based, chemical precipitation method to create high-quality, dopant-based, water-dispersible Sol-Glow™   particles. This method overcomes current limitations of synthesis and purification processes that are extremely cumbersome, time-consuming, expensive, and generate undesirable waste materials. This one-pot, chemical synthesis method is simple, rapid and suitable for producing Sol-Glow particles in bulk quantity on a metric ton scale. By eliminating the need for HCl to achieve fluorescence, Sol-Glow is also environmentally friendly.

For agriculture industry applications, Sol-Glow can serve as a plant nutrient fertilizer as well as an antimicrobial agent to protect crops from bacterial and other microbial infections. This method can be used in various inorganic light-sensitive semiconductor materials and subsequently coated with various fluorescent dye materials, using chemical reaction methodology. Being surfactant-free, Sol-Glow particles provide greater light-emitting intensity, eliminating quenching and absorption caused by surfactant residue. Additionally, Sol-Glow particles have increased sensitivity to light.

Technical Details

This novel method involves mixing in an aqueous solution a water-soluble, first core metal precursor material (e.g. cadmium acetate, zinc acetate, manganese acetate, or similar material) with a water-soluble, first dopant precursor material (e.g. sodium sulfide) to form a doped metal core material. This mixture creates a surfactant-free, core-shell, light-emitting particle. Additionally, adjusting the pH of the final composition from 3 to 6 can provide higher efficiency in Sol-Glow particle production. The water dispersibility of Sol-Glow was accomplished through surface modifications with hydrophilic coating agents, including sodium gluconate, sodium salicylate, quaternary ammonium, hydrogen peroxide, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (silica), for multifunctional applications.

Benefit

Market Application