Nanofibers doped with a novel red-emitting Europium complex: synthesis, characterization, photophysical property and sensing activity toward molecular oxygen

Photoluminescence Anisotropy in Eutectic Crystals of Polynuclear Lanthanide Complexes and Silver Clusters

Anisotropy is an intrinsic property of crystalline materials. However, the photoluminescence anisotropy in eutectic crystals of organometallic complexes has remained unexplored. Herein, the eutectic of polynuclear lanthanide complexes and Ag clusters was prepared, and the crystal shows significant photoluminescence anisotropy. The polarization anisotropy of emission δ and degree of excitation polarization P are 2.62 and 0.53, respectively. The rare excitation polarization properties have been proved to be related to the regular arrangement of electric transition dipole moments of luminescent molecules in the crystal. Our design provides a reference for developing new photoluminescence anisotropy materials and expanding their applications.

Exceptional Oxygen Sensing Properties of New Blue Light-Excitable Highly Luminescent Europium(III) and Gadolinium(III) Complexes

New europium(III) and gadolinium(III) complexes bearing 8-hydroxyphenalenone antenna combine efficient absorption in the blue part of the spectrum and strong emission in polymers at room temperature. The Eu(III) complexes show characteristic red luminescence whereas the Gd(III) dyes are strongly phosphorescent. The luminescence quantum yields are about 20% for the Eu(III) complexes and 50% for the Gd(III) dyes. In contrast to most state-of-the-art Eu(III) complexes the new dyes are quenched very efficiently by molecular oxygen. The luminescence decay times of the Gd(III) complexes exceed 1 ms which ensures exceptional sensitivity even in polymers of moderate oxygen permeability. These sensors are particularly suitable for trace oxygen sensing and may be good substitutes for Pd(II) porphyrins. The photophysical and sensing properties can be tuned by varying the nature of the fourth ligand. The narrow-band emission of the Eu(III) allows efficient elimination of the background light and autofluorescence and is also very attractive for use e.g. in multi-analyte sensors. The highly photostable indicators incorporated in nanoparticles are promising for imaging applications. Due to the straightforward preparation and low cost of starting materials the new dyes represent a promising alternative to the state-of-the-art oxygen indicators particularly for such applications as e.g. food packaging.

A new europium(III) complex containing a neutral ligand of 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole: thermal, electrochemical, luminescent properties

A new europium(III) complex i.e. Eu(ECTFBD)3PBI was synthesized, where ECTFBD and PBI are 4-(9-ethyl-9H-carbazol-3-yl)-1,1,1-trifluoro-4-oxobutan-2-olate anion and 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole, respectively. Its IR, UV-Vis spectra, electrochemical, thermal properties as well as photoluminescent performances in solid state and in CH2Cl2 were investigated. Eu(ECTFBD)3PBI exhibited strong red emission without any emission from ECTFBD and PBI in solid state, but with a very weak emission from ECTFBD in CH2Cl2. We explored this difference of the luminesecences of Eu(ECTFBD)3PBI in solid state and in CH2Cl2 based on the excited triplet energy levels of ECTFBD and PBI.