Surface Plasmon Enhanced Photoluminescence of Rhodamine B Confined in SBA15

Abstract

Rhodamine B dye (RB) has been introduced into the mesoporous silica (SBA15) and Ag anchored mesoporous silica by applying solution impregnation method. Surface treatment of SBA15 with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) facilitates selective anchoring of the RB molecules on SBA15. The photoluminescence spectra of RB confined within SBA15 indicates higher emission intensity, than that of the RB solid, particularly in the presence of Ag nanoparticles. The significant enhancement in photoluminescence intensity is attributed to the local enhancement of the optical fields near the molecules by interactions with silver plasmons.