Polysiloxane-Based Luminescent Elastomers Prepared by Thiol–ene “Click” Chemistry

Graphical Luminescent elastomers : The novel crosslinking in poly(dimethylsiloxane) networks prepared by easy thiol–ene “click” chemistry has been studied as well as their elastomeric character. The europium poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based elastomer luminophores exhibit intense red light at 617 nm under UV excitation at room temperature (see figure). Side-chain vinyl poly(dimethylsiloxane) has been modified with mercaptopropionic acid, methyl 3-mercaptopropionate, and mercaptosuccinic acid. Coordinative bonding of Eu III to the functionalized polysiloxanes was then carried out and crosslinked silicone elastomers were prepared by thiol–ene curing reactions of these composites. All these europium complexes could be cast to form transparent, uniform, thin elastomers with good flexibility and thermal stability. The networks were characterized by FTIR, NMR, UV/Vis, and luminescence spectroscopy as well as by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The europium elastomer luminophores exhibited intense red light at 617 nm under UV excitation at room temperature due to the 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 transition in Eu III ions. The newly synthesized luminescent materials offer many advantages, including the desired mechanical flexibility. They cannot be dissolved or fused, and so they have potential for use in optical and electronic applications.