Formation of Flower-Like Crystals of Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)‎aluminum from 8-Hydroxyquinoline on Anodic Porous Alumina

Abstract EN

The treatment of anodic porous alumina (APA) plates in heated water containing 8-hydroxyquinoline (HQ) produces crystalline tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq3) microbelts about 5–10 μm wide and 5–20 μm long.

These microbelts were found to aggregate to form flower-like structures on the surface.

X-ray diffraction studies indicated that the Alq3 microbelts are composed of an α-phase having a meridional structure.

The Alq3 microbelts exhibited green photoluminescence with a peak at around 520 nm.

Scanning electron microscope images and energy dispersive X-ray spectra showed that this reaction is induced at the APA surface by the reaction between the HQ and amorphous Al2O3 species.