Perfluoro-1,3-propanedisulfonic acid/silica [PFPS/SiO2] nanocomposites were prepared by the sol-gel reactions of the corresponding disulfonic acid [PFPS] with tetraethoxysilane and silica nanoparticles under alkaline conditions. These fluorinated nanocomposites thus obtained can exhibit no weight loss behavior corresponding to the contents of PFPS in the composites after calcination at 800 degrees C, although the parent PFPS can decompose completely around 270 degrees C. In addition, we succeeded in encapsulation of a variety of low molecular weight aromatic compounds such as bisphenol-A, bisphenol-AF, bisphenol-F, 4,4'-biphenol and 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol into PFPS/SiO2 nanocomposite cores. H-1 MAS NMR spectra, UV-vis spectra, fluorescence spectra and HPLC measurements of PFPS/SiO2 nanocomposites-encapsulated bisphenol-A showed the presence of encapsulated bisphenol-A in the composites before and even after calcination at 800 degrees C. Interestingly, it was verified that fluorescence spectra of PFPS/SiO2 nanocomposites-encapsulated bisphenol-A after calcination at 800 degrees C can exhibit an extremely red-shifted and enhanced fluorescence peak, compared to that before calcination or parent bisphenol-A. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.