Synthesis and photoluminescence of three-dimensional europium-complexed graphene macroassembly

Here, we report a novel three-dimensional (3D) europium-complexed reduced graphene oxide (Eu–RGO (3D)) macroassembly with a microporous structure by a facile one-pot self-assembly process under very mild conditions. Europium (Eu) ions complex well with the 3D graphene through the oxygen functional groups. Apart from the typical red emission from the trivalent Eu ions, the as-produced Eu–RGO (3D) exhibits blue emission at ca. 440 nm and green emission at ca. 544 nm, which are derived from the tuned PL emission of newly formed sp2 domains after introducing Eu ions into the lattice of the reduced graphene oxide. The Eu–RGO (3D) macroassembly has also been demonstrated to quench the photoluminescence (PL) of organic dyes such as Rhodamine-B. The interesting dual optical functionalities confirm its potential applications in the fields of biosensing as well as environmental protection.