Electrospinning synthesis of Fe3O4/Eu(DBM)3phen/PVP multifunctional microfibers and their structure, luminescent and magnetic properties

Multifunctional Fe 3 O 4 /Eu(DBM) 3 phen/PVP ((DBM: dibenzoylmethane, phen: 1,10-phenanthroline, PVP: polyvinyl pyrrolidone) microfibers were constructed by simple electrospinning process. The structure and morphology of the microfibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The diameters of pure PVP microfibers and the microfibers doped only with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles (NPs) were uniformly distributed, with an average diameter of about 360 nm. When 3% Eu(DBM) 3 phen complex and Fe 3 O 4 NPs were both added to the precursor for electrospinning, the microfibers became very inhomogeneous in diameter. The photoluminescent properties of pure Eu(DBM) 3 phen complex and composite microfibers were also studied. The characteristic emission peaks of Eu 3+ appeared in the composite microfibers. The intensities of emission and excitation spectra gradually decrease with adding more Fe 3 O 4 NPs. The unit mass of the pure europium complex in some composite microfibers gave stronger luminescence than the pure europium complex. The fluorescence lifetime of 5 D 0 state in the composite microfibers is longer than that of pure europium complex. Additionally, the magnetic properties of Fe 3 O 4 NPs and the composite microfibers were investigated. The saturation magnetization of the composite microfibers was smaller than that of pure Fe 3 O 4 NPs.