Terbium Tetra‐Sulfosalicylate Complex as Quantitative Luminescent Sensing of Chromate Ions with High Selectivity and Sensitivity

Investigation on the luminescence behavior of terbium acetylsalicylate/bilirubin system via 2D-COS approaches

Terbium acetylsalicylate has been prepared, and the ethanol solution of the complex exhibits strong luminescence under the excitation of ultraviolet radiation. When a small amount of bilirubin solution is introduced into the solution containing a high concentration of terbium acetylsalicylate, a remarkable diminution of the luminescence of the terbium complex was observed. Investigations on the behavior and life-time of luminescence indicate that the quenching is not caused by forming a stable non-luminescent product via a reaction between terbium acetylsalicylate and bilirubin. A π-π interaction between the chromophore of bilirubin and the aromatic moiety of ligand was revealed via the pattern of cross peaks in the 2D asynchronous spectrum generated using the DAOSD (double asynchronous orthogonal sample design) approach. Such an interaction paves a route for energy transfer in the quenching process. The combination of a high concentration of the terbium complex and a long life-time of luminescence in the lanthanide complex/bilirubin system forms a special scenario: a bilirubin molecule by diffusion may visit and deactivate dozens of excited terbium complexes within the half-life period of the lanthanide complex. This is why a small amount of bilirubin can bring about the significant reduction of luminescence on the solution containing a high concentration of the terbium complex.

Novel light-emitting clays with structural Tb3+ and Eu3+ for chromate anion detection

Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions were encapsulated for the first time in the inorganic layers of a synthetic saponite clay following a one-pot synthetic approach. The co-presence of the two metal ions led to tuneable light-emitting properties, promoted by an efficient Tb3+ → Eu3+ energy transfer and enhanced Stokes shift character. To our knowledge, the so-prepared luminescent material was tested for the first time as an optical sensor for the detection of chromate anions in water.

Surface modification of all-inorganic halide perovskite nanorods by a microscale hydrophobic zeolite for stable and sensitive laser humidity sensing

Perovskite materials are very sensitive to the environment which is beneficial for humidity sensing. However, the existing illuminating humidity sensor has low luminous efficiency and sensitivity. Besides, the stability of perovskite materials remains a key issue to be resolved. Compared to luminescence, lasing is much more sensitive to the surrounding environmental situation. However, humidity sensing based on perovskite lasing has not been reported so far. In this work, all-inorganic halide perovskite CsPbBr3 nanorods with an optical gain coefficient as high as 954 cm-1 were designed and fabricated. Moreover, a microscale hydrophobic zeolite was introduced to modify perovskites for improved stability. It is interesting to note that the hydrophobic zeolite introduces strong scattering which is beneficial for three-dimensional random lasing with a quality (Q) factor of 2263. Through the strategy of using lasing instead of luminescence, optical stability and sensitive laser humidity sensing were demonstrated, and it exhibits high sensitivity and good reliability. This work provides a new idea of improved stability of perovskites, which will promote the practical application of perovskite materials and devices.

Recent advances in the catalytic hydroboration of carbonyl compounds

The latest development in the catalytic hydroboration of CO groups is summarized in this review. Access to borate ester intermediates provides a pathway to convert them into the corresponding valuable functionalized alcohols.