Luminescence of fusion materials of polymeric chain-structured lanthanide complexes

Evidence of symmetry breaking in a Gd2 di-nuclear molecular polymer

A chiral 3D coordination compound, [Gd₂(L)₂(ox)₂(H₂O)₂], arranged around a dinuclear Gd unit has been characterized by X-ray photoemission and X-ray absorption measurements in the context of density functional theory studies. Core level photoemission of the Gd 5p multiplet splittings indicates that spin orbit coupling dominates over j-J coupling evident in the 5p core level spectra of Gd metal. Indications of spin-orbit coupling are consistent with the absence of inversion symmetry due to the ligand field. Density functional theory predicts antiferromagnet alignment of the Gd₂ dimers and a band gap of the compound consistent with optical absorption.

Three isostructural hexanuclear lanthanide-organic frameworks for sensitive luminescence temperature sensing over a wide range

Temperature sensing plays essential roles in both fundamental research and high-tech applications. In this work, three isomorphic hexanuclear lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs), Ln(BPDC-xN) (Ln = Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺, x = 0, 1, 2) were prepared based on the cluster-based synthesis strategy with three structurally similar dicarboxylate ligands 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid (H₂BPDC-0N), 6-(4-carboxyphenyl)nicotinic acid (H₂BPDC-1N), and [2,2'-bipyridine]-5,5'-dicarboxylic acid (H₂BPDC-2N) as the organic linkers. The as-synthesized Ln-MOFs were fully characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), elemental analysis (EA), and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR). Using a Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ co-doping approach, Eu_0.001Tb_0.999(BPDC-xN) (x = 0, 1, 2) were identified as potential ratiometric luminescence thermometers. Since there are two suitable distances between the energy donors and acceptors within the framework for efficient energy transfer, all Eu_0.001Tb_0.999(BPDC-xN) (x = 0, 1, 2) maintain high relative sensitivity over a wide temperature range from 50 K to 300 K.

Achieving colour tuneable and white-light luminescence in a large family of dual-emission lanthanide coordination polymers

Expanding the family of lanthanide terpyridine coordination polymers has yielded eighteen new complexes with two different phases, Ln(TPC)₂(HCOO)(H₂O) (Ln-1) and Ln(TPC)(HCOO)₂ (Ln-2) (Ln = Sm-Lu, except Tm). Both structures are composed of lanthanide cations interconnected by 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine-4'-carboxylate ligands to yield one-dimensional chain topologies. However, the incorporation of an additional crystallographically unique decorative TPC ligand into Ln-1 gives rises to a distinct phase. The encapsulation of both metal- and ligand-based phosphors within single coordination polymers leads to dual-emission of the afforded materials. Furthermore, judicious lanthanide doping in heterometallic Ln-1 and Ln-2 allows for fine-tuning the photoluminescent colours over a wide range of gamut. Such a combination showcases the capability to fine-tune the emission colours from deep green, to red, and to blue. In addition, direct white-light emission upon UV excitation can be achieved in the Sm_xGd_1-x-1 system.

Variable Luminescence and Chromaticity of Homoleptic Frameworks of the Lanthanides together with Pyridylpyrazolates

Homoleptic, 3D coordination polymers of the formula ³³ _∞ [Ln(3-PyPz)₃ ] and ³ _∞ [Ln(4-PyPz)₃ ], (3-PyPz)^- =3-(3-pyridyl)pyrazolate anion, (4-PyPz)^- =3-(4-pyridyl)pyrazolate anion, both C₈ H₆ N₃ ^- , Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, were obtained as highly luminescent frameworks by reaction of the lanthanide metals (Ln) with the aromatic heterocyclic amine ligands 3-PyPzH and 4-PyPzH. The compounds form two isotypic series of 3D coordination polymers and exhibit fair thermal stability up to 360 °C. The luminescence properties of all ten compounds were determined in the solid state, with an antenna effect through ligand-metal energy transfer leading to high efficiency of the luminescence displayed by good quantum yields of up to 74 %. The emission is mainly based on ion-specific lanthanide-dependent intra 4 f-4 f transitions for Tb³⁺ : green, Dy³⁺ : yellow, Sm³⁺ : orange-red, Eu³⁺ : red. For the Gd³⁺ -containing compounds, the yellow emission of ligand triplet-based phosphorescence is observed at room temperature and 77 K. Co doping of the Gd-containing frameworks with Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ allow further shifting of the chromaticity towards white light emission.

Overview of N-Rich Antennae Investigated in Lanthanide-Based Temperature Sensing

The market share of noncontact temperature sensors is expending due to fast technological and medical evolutions. In the wide variety of noncontact sensors, lanthanide-based temperature sensors stand out. They benefit from high photostability, relatively long decay times and high quantum yields. To circumvent their low molar light absorption, the incorporation of a light-harvesting antenna is required. This Review provides an overview of the nitrogen-rich antennae in lanthanide-based temperature sensors, emitting in the visible light spectrum, and discusses their temperature sensor ability. The N-rich ligands are incorporated in many different platforms. The investigation of different antennae is required to develop temperature sensors with diverse optical properties and to create a diverse offer for the multiple application fields. Molecular probes, consisting of small molecules, are first discussed. Furthermore, the thermometer properties of ratiometric temperature sensors, based on di- and polynuclear complexes, metal-organic frameworks, periodic mesoporous organosilicas and porous organic polymers, are summarized. The antenna mainly determines the application potential of the ratiometric thermometer. It can be observed that molecular probes are operational in the broad physiological range, metal-organic frameworks are generally very useful in the cryogenic region, periodic mesoporous organosilica show temperature dependency in the physiological range, and porous organic polymers are operative in the cryogenic-to-medium temperature range.

Lanthanide Luminescence Enhancement of Core-Shell Magnetite-SiO2 Nanoparticles Covered with Chain-Structured Helical Eu/Tb Complexes

Oligomeric-brush chains of helical lanthanide (Ln) complexes retain their structural and luminescent behavior after coating onto magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) consisting of Fe₃O₄ covered with silicate. It is one of the type of bifunctional NPs exhibiting luminescence of Ln and superparamagnetism of Fe₃O₄. In comparison to a simple monolayer of complexes adsorbed on a modified surface, a layer made of luminescent chains allowed us to obtain a more intensive red/green luminescence originating from Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ ions, and at the same time, no visible increase in particle size (compared to Fe₃O₄@silica particles) was observed. The luminescent properties of the Tb³⁺ complex were altered by MNPs; the decrease of the luminescence was not as large as expected, the excitation spectrum changed significantly, and the average luminescence lifetime was much longer at room temperature. Surprisingly, this phenomenon was not observed at 77 K and also did not occur for the Eu³⁺ complexes. The possibility to stack building blocks in a chain using complexes of different lanthanide ions can be used to design novel multifunctional nanosystems.

Mixed Tb/Dy coordination ladders based on tetra(carboxymethyl)thiacalix[4]arene: a new avenue towards luminescent molecular nanomagnets

The macrocyclic ligand calix[4]arene (L1) and its sulphur-containing analogue thia[4]calixarene (L2) are promising precursors for functional molecular materials as they offer rational functionalization with various organic groups. Here, we present the first example of lanthanide-based coordination polymers built from the macrocyclic thiacalix[4]arene backbone bearing four carboxylic moieties, namely, ligand H₄L3. The combination of H₄L3 with the Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ cations led to the formation of 1D ladder-type coordination polymers with the formula [Ln^IIIHL3DMF₃]·(DMF) (where DMF = dimethylformamide and Ln = Tb or Dy, denoted as HL3–Tb and HL3–Dy), which resulted from the coordination of the lanthanide cations with the partially deprotonated ligand HL3³⁻ that behaved as a T-shape connector. The coordination sphere around the metal was completed by the coordinated DMF solvent molecules. By combining both Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ cations, isostructural heterobimetallic solid solutions HL3–Tb_1−xDy_x were also prepared. HL3–Tb and HL3–Dy showed visible light photoluminescence originating from the f–f electronic transitions of pale green emissive Tb³⁺ and pale yellow emissive Dy³⁺ with efficient sensitization by the functionalized thia[4]calixarene ligand HL3. In the HL3–Tb_1−xDy_x solid solutions, the Tb/Dy ratio governed both the emission colour as well as the emission quantum yield, which reached even 28% at room temperature for HL3–Tb. Moreover, HL3–Dy exhibited a slow magnetic relaxation effect related to the magnetic anisotropy of the dodecahedral Dy³⁺ complexes, which were well isolated in the crystal lattice by expanded organic spacers.

The single crystals of the two isostructural Tb³⁺- and Dy³⁺-based coordination polymers (HL3–Tb and HL3–Dy) were structurally characterized, and their photophysical properties were investigated, together with their corresponding solid solutions.

Lanthanide-Oligomeric Brush Films: From Luminescence Properties to Structure Resolution

Lanthanide (Ln) based luminescent materials are experiencing an increasing interest in their applications in several fields. In this study, we report a series of new lanthanide-oligomeric brush films, supported on quartz substrates and prepared using a layer-by-layer method (LbL). Oligomeric brush films are composed of small oligomers from our previously reported coordination polymers [x-EuL] and [x-TbL] (with x = 1, 3, and 5 generations of Ln complexes), which are grown perpendicularly from a carboxylate self-assembled monolayer. Oligomers composed of our previously described helical lanthanide complex LnL (Ln: Eu and Tb) as a luminescent moiety and benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate acid (bdc) used as a linker. Mixed films having the fifth-generation Ln complexes composed of equimolar mixture of Eu and Tb ions were prepared. Oligomeric brush films are highly transparent and exhibited a colored emission under UV irradiation. Pure Ln (Eu or Tb) films showed a strong luminescence from the Ln ions. Their luminescent properties depended on the number of lanthanide layers in the films composed of the first to third generations of lanthanide complexes. Then, the increase of the complex layers induced no difference in the luminescent properties. An energy transfer from Tb to Eu ions in the mixed films indicated a short distance between lanthanide ions of a fifth layer. The structural analysis together with the observed luminescent properties and some previous studies allowed to clarify the disposition of the oligomers in the films.

Gelation and luminescence of lanthanide hydrogels formed with deuterium oxide

Gel formations and efficient lanthanide luminescence appeared in deuterium oxide (D₂O) medium instead of light water (H₂O), and their solvation possibilities by using luminescence lifetimes were discussed. The lanthanide ions in the hydrogel of 1 obtained by H₂O (abbreviated as H₂O-Ln1; Ln = Eu, Tb, and Gd) in our previous report act as the coupling part between neighbor molecules for the bundle structure. Here, D₂O also acts as a medium to form the lanthanide-hydrogel of 1, and increases intensities of luminescence for Tb, because a soft crystalline state reducing resonance thermal relaxation is realized. The gel-formation and luminescence band positions of Ln1 in D₂O corresponded to those in H₂O. From the observation of luminescence lifetimes in H₂O and D₂O, the number of coordinating water molecules on Eu and Tb were estimated to be around 3 or 4 for both. The luminescence intensity of Eu1 did not increase even in D₂O, due to a blue shift of the excited triplet state of 1, as compared to that in H₂O.

Luminescent lanthanide hydrogels using the low-molecular weight gelator 1 in D₂O were developed and evaluated quantitatively.

Stereoisomerism in Lanthanide Complexes: Enumeration, Chirality, Identification, Random Coordination Ratios

The concept of random coordination ratios, RCRs, is advanced for lanthanide complexes. RCRs describe the relative probabilities of occurrence of subsets of stereoisomers of same-symmetry point groups in the limiting situation when energetic effects are equivalent. We then introduce a method to uniquely identify the stereoisomer of the coordination polyhedron of a given crystallographic structure and introduce a notation that fully characterizes its stereochemistry in an unambiguous manner, from which absolute configuration naturally follows. De facto, the coordination chirality in lanthanide complexes is a frequently overlooked property, even though these compounds often exhibit, when luminescent, high dissymmetry factors. With our methodology, we even managed to recognize a known dilanthanide complex as a meso compound, with both metal ions functioning as stereogenic centers. To achieve these results, we enumerate all possible stereoisomers of lanthanide complexes with coordination numbers from 4 to 9 for all combinations of monodentate, symmetric and asymmetric bidentate ligands, and for several shapes of coordination polyhedra. We confirmed the number of stereoisomers for each case by means of Pólya's theorem. We further classified all stereoisomers according to their symmetry point groups and generated their Cartesian coordinates. This collection of all coordination polyhedra stereoisomer geometries, which is made available in the Supporting Information , can also be used to easily build starting-point geometries for theoretical calculations of metal complexes.

A stoichiometric terbium-europium dyad molecular thermometer: energy transfer properties

The optical thermometer has shown great promise for use in the fields of aeronautical engineering, environmental monitoring and medical diagnosis. Self-referencing lanthanide thermo-probes distinguish themselves because of their accuracy, calibration, photostability, and temporal dimension of signal. However, the use of conventional lanthanide-doped materials is limited by their poor reproducibility, random distance between energy transfer pairs and interference by energy migration, thereby restricting their utility. Herein, a strategy for synthesizing hetero-dinuclear complexes that comprise chemically similar lanthanides is introduced in which a pair of thermosensitive dinuclear complexes, cycTb-phEu and cycEu-phTb, were synthesized. Their structures were geometrically optimized with an internuclear distance of approximately 10.6Å. The sensitive linear temperature-dependent luminescent intensity ratios of europium and terbium emission over a wide temperature range (50-298K and 10-200K, respectively) and their temporal dimension responses indicate that both dinuclear complexes can act as excellent self-referencing thermometers. The energy transfer from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ is thermally activated, with the most important pathway involving the ⁷F₁ Eu³⁺ J-multiplet at room temperature. The energy transfer from the antenna to Eu³⁺ was simulated, and it was found that the most important ligand contributions to the rate come from transfers to the Eu³⁺ upper states rather than direct ligand-metal transfer to ⁵D₁ or ⁵D₀. As the first molecular-based thermometer with clear validation of the metal ratio and a fixed distance between the metal pairs, these dinuclear complexes can be used as new materials for temperature sensing and can provide a new platform for understanding the energy transfer between lanthanide ions.