Hybrid silica-porphyrin materials with tailored pore sizes

This study is concerning about optical and morphological properties of novel porphyrin doped silica materials consisting in 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-allyloxyphenyl)porphyrin (TAPP) encapsulated in silica matrices, exhibiting intensive absorption of light in the red-near IR region. The silica-porphyrin materials were prepared by the sol–gel process, by using different porphyrin immobilization schemes: in situ and by impregnation. As starting materials tetraethoxysilane and isobuthyltrietoxysilane, as silica precursors, N-buthyl-3-methylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid, as additive, and hydrochloric acid and sodium fluoride, as catalysts, were used. The obtained hybrid porphyrin-silica materials were characterized by using BET measurements (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis), thermal analysis, FT-IR, fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopy techniques. UV–vis behavior and fluorescence emissions and excitations were evaluated in terms of synthesis stages and immobilization processes. The obtained hybrid porphyrin-silica materials presented increased fluorescence emission with maxima situated at about 655 nm and 715 nm in comparison with the porphyrin base that make these transparent materials candidates for second generation photosensitizers. BET analysis revealed that every introduction of TAPP causes decreasing on surface area of the nanomaterial. Although, when the porphyrin is immobilized by in situ method the reduction is lower than in case of using impregnation method, that is leading to the conclusion that the porphyrin is placed inside on the silica network in both studied cases, independent of the performed method of immobilization. The pore size is narrowly distributed in the range of 1.97–3.81 nm for in situ obtained materials and in the range of 3.07–4.62 for hybrids obtained by impregnation. These materials with tunable pore sizes diameter are promising for building of sensor devices.