Preparation of EuF3 Nanocrystals/PNIPAm Complex Hydrogel and Its Thermosensitive Fluorescent Performance

EuF3 nanocrystals were synthesized with undecylenic acid as surfactant, via liquid-solid-solution synthesis(LSS) strategy, then they were treated with CCl4 to obtain reactive EuF3 nanocrystals decorated with C-Cl groups on their surface. A series of complex hydrogels of EuF3 nanocrystals/PNIPAm with different contents of EuF3 nanocrystal were prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. The microstructure and performance of the EuF3 nanocrystal and the complexes hydrogels were characterized by HRTEM, XRD, DSC and PL. The results suggest that the nanocrystal is hexagonal EuF3 and size polydisperse, the main size of which is about 10, 20 and 50 nm. With the increased content of nanocrystal, the lower critical solution temperature(LCST) of complex hydrogel decreased. The fluorescence performance of complex hydrogels was influenced greatly by both the ambient temperature and the content of nanocrystal.