Structure and optical properties of doped SiO 2 mesoporous glasses

Monolithic mesoporous silica glasses were synthesized. the presence of cu 2+ and fe 3+ cations during the synthesis of sol-gel precursors leads to different morphologies and pore sizes. the materials are characterized via ir and raman scattering spectra to detect surface groups and -si-o-si- rings (i.e.,3-6 si atoms) and morphology is examined through electron microscopy. n 2 sorption isotherms reveal details of the mesoporous structure of the materials,which are endowed with significantly large surface areas and pore volumes. vapor percolation occurs in these samples because of a void arrangement consisting of pore bulges delimited by narrower necks. the optical characterization shows the luminescence spectrum and thermoluminescent behavior subjected to successive exposures of beta particles. © 2011 g. hernndez-padrn et al.