Confinement of Highly Luminescent Silver Nanoclusters in FAUY Zeolite: A Study on the Formation Effects of Silver Nanoclusters and the Sensitization of Tb3+

In this research, highly luminescent silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs) were prepared by using Na-FAUY zeolite as a scaffold to hinder their aggregation, and efficient energy transfer from Ag NCs to Tb3+ was realized in Ag+-Tb3+ dual-exchanged Na-FAUY zeolites and then proved by steady spectral and luminescence lifetime measurements. Furthermore, the effects of Ag+ loading amount, thermal treatment, and Tb3+ loading on the luminescence properties of Ag NCs were studied, and the optimized doping and preparing conditions were obtained. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy together with spectral measurements indicated that the available sites for Tb3+ and Ag+ are competitive and Tb3+ doping may hinder the effective formation of Ag NCs. It is also indicated that the loading of Tb3+ may lead to reduced Si/Al ratios, which greatly influence the luminescence property and chemical state of Ag NCs, e.g., a high Si/Al ratio leads to blueshift emission and stronger ionic of Ag NCs. This research may benefit the design of Ag NCs-involved luminescent zeolites that have potential applications for photonic devices like LEDs and 3D displays.