Critical Role of Energy Transfer Between Terbium Ions for Suppression of Back Energy Transfer in Nonanuclear Terbium Clusters

Using Adiabatic Energy Splitting To Compute Dexter Energy Transfer Couplings

Dexter energy transfer and transport (DET) are of broad interest in energy science, and DET rates depend on electronic couplings between donor and acceptor species. DET couplings are challenging to compute since they originate from both one- and two-particle interactions, and the strength of this interaction drops approximately exponentially with donor-acceptor distances. Using adiabatic energy splitting to compute DET couplings has advantages because adiabatic states can be calculated directly using conventional quantum chemical methods. We describe a minimum energy splitting method to compute the DET coupling by altering molecular geometries to drive the systems into a T1/T2 energy quasi-degenerate-activated DA complex. We explore the accuracy of various quantum chemical approaches to calculate the Dexter couplings.

Sandglass-Typed Single Chameleon Luminophore for Water Mapping Measurements: Intramolecular Energy Migrations in the Hydrophilic Tb(III)/Sm(III) Cluster

Novel hydrophilic and color-changeable single chameleon luminophores composed of Tb(III)/Sm(III) nona-nuclear clusters [TbxSm9-x(Sal-PEG-n)16(μ-OH)10]+(NO3)- (x = 1, 2, 3, and 9; Sal-PEG-n: salicylate polyethylene glycolmethylester, n = 2 and 4) are reported for water mapping measurements. Their characteristic sandglass structures and aggregates were analyzed using X-ray single crystal analysis and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. The green- and yellow-luminescence of [Tb3Sm6(Sal-PEG-4)16(μ-OH)]+(NO3)- in water were observed at 20 and 50 °C, respectively. The ratio-metric luminescence analysis using green Tb(III) and orange Sm(III) emission bands is a promising candidate for exact temperature distribution measurements in fluid dynamics. The effective temperature-sensing property based on the competitive intramolecular energy transfer processes between Tb(III)-to-ligand and Tb(III)-to-Sm(III) in a non-a-nuclear cluster is explained using temperature-dependent kinetic analyses in the excited state.

Composition Control in Molecular Cluster-Aggregates: A Toolbox for Optical Output Tunability via Energy Transfer Pathways

Composition control is a powerful tool for obtaining high-performance lanthanide (Ln) luminescent materials with adjustable optical outputs. This strategy is well-established for hierarchically structured nanoparticles, but it is rarely applied to molecular compounds due to the limited number of metal centers within a single unit. In this work, we present a series of molecular cluster-aggregates (MCAs) with an icosanuclear core {Ln2Eu2Tb16} (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb) in which we explore composition control, akin to nanoparticles, to modulate the optical output. More specifically, we target to understand how the presence of a third LnIII doping ion would impact the well-known TbIII → EuIII energy transfer and the ratiometric optical thermometry performance based on the TbIII/EuIII pair. Photophysical properties at room and at varying temperatures were investigated. Based on experimental data and well-established intrinsic features, such as spin-orbit coupling strength and LnIII 4f energy levels' structure, we discuss the possible luminescent processes present in each MCA and provide insight into qualitative trends that can be rationally correlated throughout the series.

Lanthanide molecular cluster-aggregates as the next generation of optical materials

In this perspective, we provide an overview of the recent achievements in luminescent lanthanide-based molecular cluster-aggregates (MCAs) and illustrate why MCAs can be seen as the next generation of highly efficient optical materials. MCAs are high nuclearity compounds composed of rigid multinuclear metal cores encapsulated by organic ligands. The combination of high nuclearity and molecular structure makes MCAs an ideal class of compounds that can unify the properties of traditional nanoparticles and small molecules. By bridging the gap between both domains, MCAs intrinsically retain unique features with tremendous impacts on their optical properties. Although homometallic luminescent MCAs have been extensively studied since the late 1990s, it was only recently that heterometallic luminescent MCAs were pioneered as tunable luminescent materials. These heterometallic systems have shown tremendous impacts in areas such as anti-counterfeiting materials, luminescent thermometry, and molecular upconversion, thus representing a new generation of lanthanide-based optical materials.

Effective Photosensitization in Excited-State Equilibrium: Brilliant Luminescence of TbIII Coordination Polymers Through Ancillary Ligand Modifications

Molecular photosensitizers provide efficient light-absorbing abilities for photo-functional materials. Herein, effective photosensitization in excited-state equilibrium is demonstrated using five Tb^III coordination polymers. The coordination polymers are composed of Tb^III ions (emission center), hexafluoroacetylacetonato (photosensitizer ligands), and phosphine oxide-based bridges (ancillary ligands). The two types of ligand combinations induces a rigid coordination structure via intermolecular interactions, resulting in high thermal stability (with decomposition temperatures above 300 °C). Excited-triplet-state lifetimes of photosensitizer ligands (τ=120-1320 μs) are strongly dependent on the structure of the ancillary ligands. The photosensitizer with a long excited-triplet-state lifetime (τ≥1120 μs) controls the excited state equilibrium between the photosensitizer and Tb^III , allowing the construction of Tb^III coordination polymer with high Tb^III emission quantum yield (≥70 %).

Pentagram-type Ln15 (Ln = Dy, Tb, Eu, Sm, Ho) clusters with different anion templates: magnetic and luminescence properties

Five pentagram-type Ln15 clusters with different anion templates were obtained. The pentagonal skeleton is composed of five cubane-like [Ln4(μ3-OH)4] building units. The magnetic properties and the luminescence behavior were investigated.

Hydrolysis-Promoted Building Block Assembly: Structure Transformation from Wheel and Ship to Cage

Accurately controlling the hydrolysis of metal ions can not only yield the desired structure of metal hydroxide clusters but also provide a deeper understanding of the formation process of natural hydroxide minerals. However, the capture of hydrolysis intermediates remains a significant challenge, and metal hydroxide clusters are mainly obtained by employing adventitious hydrolysis. In this study, we realized a hierarchical building block assembly from Y³⁺ ions to large Y₁₂, Y₃₄, and Y₆₀ clusters by controlling the hydrolysis process of lanthanide ions under different pH conditions. Single-crystal structural analysis showed that the Y₁₂ wheel, Y₃₄ ship, and Y₆₀ sodalite cage contain 4, 12, and 24 cubane-like [Y₄(μ₃-OH)₄]⁸⁺ units, respectively. The structure of the Y₆₀ cluster can be attributed to two Y₃₄ clusters or six Y₁₂ clusters linked by vertices. These clusters can be synthesized through the hydrolysis of Y³⁺ under different pH conditions, and Y₆₀ can be prepared from the obtained Y₁₂ or Y₃₄ crystals by the simple addition of Y³⁺ ions. The capture and conversion of the intermediates of lanthanide series hydroxide clusters, Y₁₂ or Y₃₄, during the assembly from Y³⁺ ions to Y₆₀ can facilitate an understanding of the formation process of high-nuclearity lanthanide clusters.

A luminescent view of the clickable assembly of LnF3 nanoclusters

Nanoclusters (NCs) bridge the gap between atoms and nanomaterials in not only dimension but also physicochemical properties. Precise chemical and structural control, as well as clear understanding of formation mechanisms, have been important to fabricate NCs with high performance in optoelectronics, catalysis, nanoalloys, and energy conversion and harvesting. Herein, taking advantage of the close chemical properties of Ln³⁺ (Ln = Eu, Nd, Sm, Gd, etc.) and Gd³⁺–Eu³⁺ energy transfer ion-pair, we report a clickable LnF₃ nanoparticle assembly strategy allowing reliable fabrication of diversely structured NCs, including single-component, dimeric, core-shelled/core-shell-shelled, and reversely core-shelled/core-shell-shelled, particularly with synergized optical functionalities. Moreover, the purposely-embedded dual luminescent probes offer great superiority for in situ and precise tracking of tiny structural variations and energy transfer pathways within complex nanoarchitectures.

Precisely controlling the chemical composition and structure of nanoclusters is an ongoing challenge. Here, the authors report a clickable assembly strategy to construct widely varied lanthanide nanoclusters with synergized optical functionalities.

Accessing Lanthanide-to-Lanthanide Energy Transfer in a Family of Site-Resolved [LnIII LnIII '] Heterodimetallic Complexes

The ligand H₃ L (6-[3-oxo-3-(2-hydroxyphenyl)propionyl]pyridine-2-carboxylic acid), which exhibits two different coordination pockets, has been exploited to engender and study energy transfer (ET) in two dinuclear [Ln^III Ln^III '] analogues of interest, [EuYb] and [NdYb]. Their structural and physical properties have been compared with newly synthesised analogues featuring no possible ET ([EuLu], [NdLu], and [GdYb]) and with the corresponding homometallic [EuEu] and [NdNd] analogues, which have been previously reported. Photophysical data suggest that ET between Eu^III and Yb^III does not occur to a significant extent, whereas emission from Yb^III originates from sensitisation of the ligand. In contrast, energy migration seems to be occurring between the two Nd^III centres in [NdNd], as well as in [NdYb], in which Yb^III luminescence is thus, in part, sensitised by ET from Nd. This study shows the versatility of this molecular platform to further the investigation of lanthanide-to-lanthanide ET phenomena in defined molecular systems.

Synthesis of cool white light emitting novel dysprosium (Dy3+ ) complexes with tetradentate β-ketoamide and heterocyclic auxiliary ligands

To improve current multiphase white light emitting diodes (WLEDs), a novel series of five complexes consisting of one binary and four ternary complexes that emitted cool white light was successfully synthesized using a chelating tetradentate ligand and auxiliary ligands, i.e. 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline, 1,10-phenanthroline, 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridyl, and 2,2'-bipyridyl. The series was examined structurally using elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These complexes had the appropriate thermal stability required for the generation of white organic LEDs (WOLEDs). Dysprosium (III) (Dy³⁺ ) ion complexes demonstrated the characteristic emission peaks of blue colour at 482 nm and yellow colour at 572 nm, respectively, when excited using near ultraviolet light. Band gap, refractive index, and decay lifetime of the optimized samples were recorded as 2.68 eV, 2.12, and 1.601 ms, respectively. Correlated colour temperature value (7875 K), Commission International de l'Eclairage coordinates (0.300, 0.294), and colour purity (21.04 × 10^-2 ) of the optimized complex were near to those of white illuminants as defined by the National Television System Committee. These complexes had promise as commercial LEDs for the advanced optoelectronics devices, especially as WOLEDs for illumination applications.

Divergent Adsorption-Dependent Luminescence of Amino-Functionalized Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks for Highly Sensitive NO2 Sensors

A novel gas sensing mechanism exploiting lanthanide luminescence modulation upon NO₂ adsorption is demonstrated here. Two isostructural lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are used, including an amino group as the sensitive recognition center for NO₂ molecules. The transfer of energy from the organic ligands to Ln is strongly dependent on the presence of NO₂, resulting in an unprecedented photoluminescent sensing scheme. Thereby, NO₂ exposition triggers either a reversible enhancement or a decrease in the luminescence intensity, depending on the lanthanide ion (Eu or Tb). Our experimental studies combined with density functional theory and complete active space self-consistent field calculations provide an understanding of the nature and effects of NO₂ interactions within the MOFs and the signal transduction mechanism.

Toward accurate measurement of the intrinsic quantum yield of lanthanide complexes with back energy transfer

This work theoretically shows that the intrinsic quantum yields are different between ligand excitation and direct lanthanide excitation in the presence of back energy transfer.

Twists to the Spin Structure of the Ln9-diabolo Motif Exemplified in Two {Zn2Ln2}[Ln9]{Zn2} Coordination Clusters

Two pentadecanuclear Zn₄Ln₁₁ [with Ln = Gd(1) or Dy(2)] coordination clusters, best formulated as {Zn₂Ln₂}[Ln₉]{Zn₂}, are presented. The central {Ln₉} diabolo core has a {Zn₂Ln₂} handle motif pulling at two outer Ln ions of the central core via two {ZnLn} units, which also invest the system with C₂ point symmetry. The resulting cluster motif is supported on two Zn "feet", corresponding to the {Zn₂} unit in the formula. A thorough investigation of the magnetic properties in the light of the properties of previously reported {Ln₉} diabolo compounds was undertaken. Up to now, the spin structure of such diabolo motifs usually proves ambiguous. Our magnetic studies show that the orientation of the central spin in the {Gd₉} diabolo plays a decisive role. In stabilizing the core by attachment of the {Zn}²⁺ "feet" and using the C₂ symmetry related {ZnGd}⁵⁺ handles to influence the spin direction of the central Gd of the {Gd₉} diabolo, we can understand why the "naked" {Gd₉} diabolo shows ambiguous spin structure. This then allowed us to elucidate the single-molecule magnetic (SMM) properties of the Dy-based compound 2 through disentangling the magnetic properties of the isostructural Gd-based compound 1.

Effects of europium spectral probe interchange in Ln-dyads with cyclen and phen moieties

Antenna-lanthanide energy transfer is investigated via a bimetallic complex with one silent and one probe lanthanide ion, when their positions are interchanged in the complex.

Quantum interferences among Dexter energy transfer pathways

We explore Dexter coupling pathway interferences in non-covalent assemblies, employing a method that enables the assessment of Dexter coupling pathway strengths, interferences, and their physical origins in the context of one-particle and two-particle (i.e., coulombic) operators.

A 365 nm UV LED-excitable antenna ligand for switchable lanthanide luminescence

Synthesis and evaluation of a new 365 nm excitable antenna ligand for Eu^III employed in switchable lanthanide luminescence.

Solvent-dependent dual-luminescence properties of a europium complex with helical π-conjugated ligands

A europium(iii) complex with a large π-conjugated helical ligand, tris(hexafluoroacetylacetonato)europium(iii)bis((pentahelicenyl)diphenylphosphine oxide) (Eu(hfa)₃(HPO)₂), exhibits dual luminescence excited at the π–π* transition band.

Synthesis and photophysical and magnetic studies of ternary lanthanide(iii) complexes of naphthyl chromophore functionalized imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline and dibenzoylmethane

The synthesis of ternary Eu(iii) and Tb(iii) complexes of dibenzoylmethane and naphthyl- and hydroxynaphthyl functionalized imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline as ancillary ligands and their luminescence and magnetic properties are reported in this work.