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Solid blue-emitter in the UV-visible

At the CSIC’s Instituto de Ciencia de Materials de Madrid, scientists have obtained a new xerogel (a solid formed from a gel by drying, eliminating the solvent) which can be used as a blue emitter in solid state. It may be applicable to the fabrication of optoelectronics devices, fluorescent sensors, and organic light emitting diodes.

The new blue-emitter.The new material, called 5-(4-nonilphenyl)-7-azaindole, can be prepared through a very simple (with only one synthetic route) and economic process. The starting material, 7-azaindol, is commercial and cheap, resulting in lower costs for the future production of devices or sensors in an industrial scale. Both the process and the materials have been patented.

The xerogel can be used as a blue emitter in solid state, and it may be applicable to fabrication of the optoelectronics devices, fluorescent sensors, and organic light emitting diodes.  Scientists are also studying its possible use as a fluorescent marker.

Stable, reproducible, reversible

The dissolved compound at a certain concentration forms in few minutes an organogel. Eva Maria Garcia Frutos, a CSIC scientist at the Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM) and main author of the work, explains: "An organogel is a class of gel composed of a liquid organic phase within a three-dimensional, cross-linked network. The organogel is formed by heating the 5- (4-nonilfenil) -7-azaindol in the organic liquid until the solid is completely dissolved, and then cooling this solution below gelation temperature.”

The gelation process has a strong influence on the properties of the material. The xerogel is obtained by ‘drop-casting” technique and the elimination afterwards of the solvent at room temperature.

Tests in laboratory have shown that this process is reversible: when the compound is dissolved in liquid form it can be transformed again into a gel by heating and cooling. The process is reproducible (it has been done several times), quick (in a few minutes) and happens at room temperature. Another advantage is that the compound is very stable,  withstanding temperatures up to 245 ªC.

Both the organogel and the xerogel are emitters in the blue region of the the ultraviolet-visible spectral region (450-495 nm).

Contact:

Marisa Carrascoso Arranz
Vicepresidencia Adjunta de
Transferencia del Conocimiento- CSIC
Tel.: + 34 – 91 568 15 33 
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