Polytitanasiloxane solutions containing Eu3+ the hydrolytic cocondensation of tetraethoxysilane and tetrabutyl titanate. The UV-vis absorption and the luminescence intensity were both found to increase with the increase of tetrabutyl titanate/tetraethoxysilane (TBT/TEOS) molar ratio. This revealed that the incorporation of TiO2 can result in the increase of absorption energy of the Ti-O group by near-UV excitation and in the increase of energy transfer to the metal ion. At the same time, the intensity ratio of D-5(0) -> F-7(2) to D-5(0) -> F-7(1) increases as the TBT/TEOS molar ratio increases, indicating the formation of Eu3+-O2--Ti4+ bonding. A longer decay time means that the Eu3+ ions are better dispersed and less clustered with the increase of TBT/TEOS molar ratio. The results on the luminescence properties of the Eu3+ in different media containing ethanol or water suggest that the incorporation of TiO2 can shield Eu3+ ions from the effect of water and ethanol molecules, which leads to an improvement of the Eu3+ surroundings. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.