A simple and green strategy for preparing luminescent Tb 3+ complex-based nanocomposite with stable luminescence in water

Abstract Luminescent lanthanide-based nanocomposites (LnNCs) with intense and stable luminescence in aqueous media are in high demand for sensing and biological applications. Herein we report a new water-soluble LnNCs that prepared through a very simple and green procedure, with bright green luminescence dominated by 5 D 4 → 7 F 5 transition (542 nm) of Tb 3+ , showing improved luminescence behavior compared with the complex Tb(Sal) 3 ·2H 2 O (Sal = salicylic acid) and good luminescence stability in aqueous solution even for considerable time (3 weeks) ascribed to the protective effect of the clay substrate to the Tb 3+ complex. Moreover, the material exhibits rapid and highly selective sensing of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and can be applied for detecting low THF content (0.1–6.0 vol%) in aqueous solution.