Synthesis and Luminescence Performances of Macroporous Ca12Al14O32Cl2:Tb3+ Monoliths for Ag+ Fluorescence Sensor

Macroporous terbium-doped Ca12Al14O32Cl2 (C12A7:Tb3+) monoliths have been synthesized via a sol-gel route, and the macroporous structure, luminescence performances and detection of Ag+ in water of the C12A7:Tb3+ monoliths were investigated in detail. The introduction of Tb element has an important role on the macroporous structure of C12A7 monoliths, and the macropore size gradually decreases with the increase of Tb doping concentration. The luminescence intensity of 3% Tb-doped C12A7 monolith reaches the maximum, and the corresponding macropore size is close to 0.6 μm and the porosity is about 70.4%. High luminescence intensity of Tb-doped C12A7 monolith is attributed to higher scattering light and wonderful high temperature stability dervied from the resultant macrostructure. The luminescence decay of Tb3+ is determined to the local environment in macroporous C12A7 monoliths, and the maximum luminous life can reach 2584.24 μs in the local environment closer to O2-. The obtained macroporous C12A7:Tb3+ material has a sensitive response to Ag+, and can become a promising fluorescence sensor for the detection of Ag+.