A series of ternary rare earth (Eu 3+ , Tb 3+ ) complexes are covalently coated to the 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) by a simple in situ sol–gel method by the bifunctional silylated monomer TTA-Si and TAA-Si (TTA-Si and TAA-Si are 3-(triethoxysilyl)propylisocyanate (TEPIC) modified thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) and trifluoroacetylacetone (TAA), respectively). The resulting materials are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra, scanning electronic microscope, transmission electron microscope, thermogravimetric analysis, ultraviolet visible diffused reflection measure, photoluminescence spectra, and X-ray diffraction. The photoluminesce measurements indicated that these hybrids exhibit characteristic red and green luminescence originating from the corresponding ternary rare earth ion (Eu 3+ , Tb 3+ ). The luminescence quenching effect of MWCNT networks have been successfully restrained by coating a relatively thicker silica–oxygen-based organic–inorganic complex. Furthermore, the fluorescence lifetimes and emission quantum efficiencies of Eu 3+ hybrid materials are also determined.
Three novel fluorinated methacrylate monomers with siloxyl bridging perfluoroalkyl groups were synthesized and characterized. Afterwards, the corresponding polymethacrylate latexes, namely monofluoroalkylsiloxyl polymethacrylate (PMFSMA), bisfluoroalkylsiloxyl polymethacrylate (PBFSMA) and trisfluoroalkylsiloxyl polymethacrylate (PTFSMA), were prepared and coated onto cotton fabrics to make them water-repellent. Particle size, particle size distribution, zeta potential and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM) were tested to assess the emulsion stability and particle morphology. Thermal properties of PTFSMA were evaluated by thermal-gravimetric analysis (TGA). Surface properties of the coated cotton fabrics were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), water contact angle (WCA), adhesive force and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the incorporation of more perfluoroalkyl chains and the annealing process could decrease the surface free energy of polymer film to 13.7 mN/m. Furthermore, the EDS spectra of PTFSMA film after annealing showed an enrichment of fluorine in the film-air interface.