Crystal Structures of the Lanthanum(III), Europium(III), and Terbium(III) Cryptates of Tris(bipyridine) Macrobicyclic Ligands

The crystal structures of the La^III, Eu^III, and Tb^III complexes of macrobicyclic [bpy.bpy.bpy] ligands, [La³⁺ ? 1 ]3 Cl^? ( = 3- La), [Tb³⁺ ? 1 ]3 Cl^? ( = 3- Tb), and [Eu³⁺ ? 2 ]3 C1^? ( = 3- Eu), have been determined. They confirm the cryptate nature of these species, the cations being bound to the eight N-sites of the ligand. The macrobicycle presents two open faces, thus allowing additional coordination of two species, Cl^? ions or H₂O molecules, to the bound cations. These data provide structural support for the photophysical studies of the luminescent properties of the Eu^III and Tb^III cryptates, which indicated residual coordination of H₂O molecules.     

A Series of Carboxylic‐Functionalized Ionic Liquids and their Solubility for Lanthanide Oxides

Herein we report the synthesis of propanoic acid functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) with various lengths of alkyl chain on the imidazole ring. The synthesized propanoic acid functionalized ILs were used to dissolve Eu₂O₃ (or Tb₄O₇) due to the formation of europium(III) (or terbium(III)) carboxylate, aimed to get soft luminescent materials combining the properties of ILs and attractive luminescent properties of lanthanide ions. The luminescent behavior of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ in the ILs were investigated by luminescence spectroscopy. The affect of the alkyl chain on the luminescent behavior (the asymmetry parameter (R), the lifetime of ⁵D₀, and the ⁵D₀ quantum efficiency) of Eu³⁺ has been discussed.     

A Highly Stable Yttrium Organic Framework as a Host for Optical Thermometry and D2O Detection

The yttrium organic framework (Y_0.89Tb_0.10Eu_0.01)₆(BDC)₇(OH)₄(H₂O)₄ (BDC=benzene-1,4-dicarboxylate) is hydrothermally stable up to at least 513 K and thermally stable in air in excess of 673 K. The relative intensities of luminescence of Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺ are governed by Tb³⁺-to-Eu³⁺ phonon-assisted energy transfer and Tb³⁺-to-ligand back transfer and are responsible for the differing temperature-dependent luminescence of the two ions. This provides a ratiometric luminescent thermometer in the 288–573 K temperature range, not previously seen for MOF materials, with a high sensitivity, 1.69±0.04 % K⁻¹ at 523 K. In aqueous conditions, loosely bound H₂O can be replaced by D₂O in the same material, which modifies decay lifetimes to yield a quantitative luminescent D₂O sensor with a useful sensitivity for practical application.     

Electronic excitation energy transfer between Tb3+ and Eu3+ in DMSO

Excitation of Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺ in DMSO with 487 mμ, which corresponds to the ⁷F₆ → ⁵D₄ transition of Tb³⁺, is accompanied by a reduction in the fluorescence efficiency of Tb³⁺ as [Eu³⁺] increases and by the appearance of a weak emission from Eu³⁺. An average rate constant for both the fluorescence quenching of Tb³⁺ and the energy transfer from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ with subsequent emission from the latter, was found to be (2.2 ± 0.4) × 10³ M^?1 sec^?1.     

Luminescence of Eu3+ and Tb3+ Complexes of Two Macrobicyclic Ligands Derived from a Tetralactam Ring and a Chromophoric Antenna

Two macrobicyclic ligands derived from an 18‐membered tetralactam ring and 2,2′‐bipyridine or 2,6‐bis(pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyridine moieties, 1 and 2 , respectively, form stable complexes with Gd^III, Eu^III, and Tb^III ions in aqueous solution. The ligand‐based luminescence is retained in the Gd^III cryptates, whereas this radiative deactivation is quenched in the Eu^III and Tb^III cryptates by ligand‐to‐metal energy transfer, resulting in the usual metal‐centered emission spectra. Singlet‐ and triplet‐state energies, emission‐decay lifetimes, and luminescence yields were measured. [Tb⊂ 1 ]³⁺ cryptate shows a long luminescence lifetime (τ=1.12 ms) and a very high metal luminescence quantum yield (Φ=0.25) in comparison with those reported in the literature for Tb³⁺ complexes sensitized by a bipyridine chromophore. By comparison to [Ln⊂ 1 ]³⁺, [Ln⊂ 2 ]³⁺ presents markedly lower luminescence properties, due to worse interaction between the 2,6‐bis(pyrazol‐1‐yl)pyridine unit and the metal ion. Moreover, the luminescent metal and the triplet ligand energy levels of [Eu⊂ 2 ]³⁺ do not match. The effects of H₂O molecules coordinated to the metal centre and of thermally activated decay processes on nonradiative deactivation to the ground‐state are also reported.     

Mono(di)nuclear Europium(III) Complexes of Macrobi(tri)cyclic Cryptands Derived from Diazatetralactams as Luminophores in Aqueous Solution

To increase the excellent light-emitting properties of the Eu³⁺ ion, macrobicyclic and macrotricyclic ligands 7 – 10 , incorporating a 18-membered tetralactam ring (acting as a lanthanide binding site) and a sensitizer group (2,2′-bipyridine or 2,2′-bipyridine 1,1′-dioxide moiety), were synthesized. The mononuclear and dinuclear europium cryptates derived from these ligands were isolated and characterized. Their luminescent properties and those of the corresponding cryptates containing a phenanthroline group (see 11 and 12 ) were examined in H₂O and D₂O solutions at 77 and 300 K. It results that the tetralactam moiety plays a major role in the efficient shielding of the complexed Eu³⁺ ion from the water environment. The cryptands incorporating the bipyridine unit are the most promising labels according to their photophysical properties (excitation maxima, emission decay lifetime, relative luminescent yield). In contrast with literature data, introduction of N-oxide groups in the bipyridine chromophore weakens the luminescence properties of the cryptate.     

Solvothermal synthesis and luminescent properties of monodisperse LaPO4:Ln (Ln=Eu, Ce, Tb) particles

Monodisperse rare-earth ion (Eu³⁺, Ce³⁺, Tb³⁺) doped LaPO₄ particles with oval morphology were successfully prepared through a facile solvothermal process without further heat treatment. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the kinetic decays were performed to characterize these samples. The XRD results reveal that all the doped samples are well crystalline at 180 °C and assigned to the monoclinic monazite-type structure of the LaPO₄ phase. It has been shown that all the as-synthesized samples show perfectly oval morphology with narrow size distribution. The possible growth mechanism of the LaPO₄:Ln has been investigated as well. Upon excitation by ultraviolet radiation, the LaPO₄:Eu³⁺ phosphors show the characteristic ⁵D₀−⁷F_1-4 emission lines of Eu³⁺, while the LaPO₄:Ce³⁺, Tb³⁺ phosphors demonstrate the characteristic ⁵D₄−⁷F_3-6 emission lines of Tb³⁺.     

Triboluminescence of lanthanide acetylacetonates

Triboluminescence of Ln(acac)₃·H₂O (Ln = Tb, Eu, Pr, Ce, Gd) was found. The UV radiation was detected for the first time as narrow bands caused by the emission of the adsorbed N₂* molecules (transitions ³∏_u → ³∏_g) in the study of triboluminescence of lanthanide compounds. The emission of Ln³⁺* (ionic triboluminescence) was observed only for Tb³⁺* (λ_max/nm: 490 (⁵D₄-⁷F₆), 545 (⁵D₄-⁷F₅), 580 (⁵D₄-⁷F₄)) and Eu³⁺* (λ?max/nm: 613, 614 (⁵D₂-⁷F₃)). The generation of N₂* occurs due to the energy of electric fields appeared upon the destruction of crystalline samples of Ln(acac)₃·H₂O. The Tb³⁺* and Eu³⁺* ions are formed due to the energy transfer from the triplet level of the ligand (acacT₁), which is excited by the light emitted from the N₂* molecule.     

Spectroscopic Investigation of the Europium(3+) Ion in a New ZnY4W3O16 Matrix

A new Zn and Eu tungstate was characterized by spectroscopic techniques. This tungstate, of the formula ZnEu₄W₃O₁₆, crystallized in the orthorhombic system and was synthesized by a solid‐state reaction. It melts incongruently at 1330°. The luminescent properties, including excitation and emission processes, luminescent dynamics, and local environments of the Eu³⁺ ions in ZnEu₄W₃O₁₆ and ZnY₄W₃O₁₆ : Eu³⁺ diluted phases (1, 5, and 10 mol‐% of Eu³⁺ ion) were studied basing on the f⁶‐intraconfigurational transitions in the 250–720 nm spectral range. The excitation spectra of this system (λ_em 615 and 470 nm) show broad bands with maxima at 265 and 315 nm related to the ligand‐to‐metal charge‐transfer (LMCT) states. The emission spectra under excitation at the O→W (265 nm) and O→Eu³⁺ (315 nm) LMCT states present the blue‐green emission bands. The emission of tungstate groups mainly originate from the charge‐transfer state of excited 2p orbitals of O^2? to the empty orbitals of the central W⁶⁺ ions. On the other hand, in the emission of the Eu³⁺ ions, both the charge transfer from O^2? to Eu³⁺ and the energy transfer from W⁶⁺ ions to Eu³⁺ are involved. The emission spectra under excitation at the ⁷F₀→⁵L₆ transition of the Eu³⁺ ion (394 nm) of ZnY₄W₃O₁₆ : Eu³⁺ diluted samples show narrow emission lines from the ⁵D₃, ⁵D₂, and ⁵D₁ emitting states. The effect of the active‐ion (Eu³⁺) concentration on the colorimetric characteristic of the emissions of the compound under investigation are presented.     

Different crystal structure and photophysical properties of lanthanide complexes with 5-bromonicotinic acid

Five novel lanthanide (Eu³⁺ (1), Tb³⁺ (2), Sm³⁺ (3), Dy³⁺ (4) and Gd³⁺ (5)) complexes with 5-Bromonicotinic acid (5-Brnic) were synthesized and two of them (Tb³⁺, Sm³⁺) were characterized by X-ray diffraction. The results reveal that {[Tb(5-Brnic)₃(H₂O)₃]·H₂O}_n (2) and [Sm(5-Brnic)₃(H₂O)₂·H₂O]₂ (3) exhibit different coordination geometries and crystal structures. Complex 2 has a one-dimensional chain-like polymeric structure through the bridged 5-Brnic anions which links up two neighboring terbium ions, while Complex 3 forms a dimeric molecular structure. The lowest triplet state energy of 5-Brnic was determined to be 24 330 cm⁻¹ corresponded to the 0-0 transition in the phosphorescence spectrum of its gadolinium complex at 411 nm. The strong luminescent emission intensities of these complexes indicated that the triplet state energy of 5-Brnic is suitable for the sensitization of luminescence of Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺, Sm³⁺ and Dy³⁺, especially for that of Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺.     

Intrinsic Time‐Tunable Emissions in Core–Shell Upconverting Nanoparticle Systems

Color‐tunable luminescence has been extensively investigated in upconverting nanoparticles for diverse applications, each exploiting emissions in different spectral regions. Manipulation of the emission wavelength is accomplished by varying the composition of the luminescent material or the characteristics of the excitation source. Herein, we propose core–shell β‐NaGdF₄: Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺/β‐NaGdF₄: Tb³⁺ nanoparticles as intrinsic time‐tunable luminescent materials. The time dependency of the emission wavelength only depends on the different decay time of the two emitters, without additional variation of the dopant concentration or pumping source. The time‐tunable emission was recorded with a commercially available camera. The dynamics of the emissions is thoroughly investigated, and we established that the energy transfer from the ¹D₂ excited state of Tm³⁺ ions to the higher energy excited states of Tb³⁺ ions to be the principal mechanism to the population of the ⁵D₄ level for the Tb³⁺ ions.     

Energy transfer and heat-treatment effect of photoluminescence in Eu-doped TbPO4 nanowires

We have successfully synthesized Eu³⁺-doped TbPO₄ nanowires, which are orderly organized to form bundle-like structure. A thermal treatment up to 600 °C does not modify the size, shape and structure of as-synthesized sample. Due to the energy overlap between Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺, an efficient energy transfer occurs from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺. The effects of Eu³⁺ concentration and thermal treatment on the luminescent properties of Eu³⁺ are investigated. The increase of Eu³⁺ concentration leads to the increase of the energy transfer efficiency from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺, but also enhances the probability of the interaction between neighboring Eu³⁺, which results in the concentration quenching. With the heat-treatment, the luminescence of Eu³⁺ presents an obvious increase, but almost no change for the luminescence of Tb³⁺. This difference is explained based on the TGA, DTA, and fluorescent decay dynamics analyses.     

Three Lanthanide Metal‐Organic Frameworks Based on an Ether‐Decorated Polycarboxylic Acid Linker: Luminescence Modulation,CO2 Capture and Conversion Properties

Three new isostructural 3D lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln‐MOFs), {H[LnL(H₂O)]?2 H₂O}_n ( 1‐Ln ) (Ln=Eu³⁺, Gd³⁺ and Tb³⁺), based on infinite lanthanide‐carboxylate chains were constructed by employing an ether‐separated 5,5′‐oxydiisophthalic acid (H₄L) ligand under solvothermal reaction. 1‐Eu and 1‐Tb exhibit strong red and green emission, respectively, through the antenna effect, as demonstrated through a combination of calculation and experimental results. Moreover, a series of dichromatic doped 1‐Eu_xTb_y MOFs were fabricated by introducing different concentrations of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ions, and they display an unusual variation of luminescent colors from green, yellow, orange to red. 1‐Eu with channels decorated by ether O atoms and the open metal sites displays good performance for CO₂ capture and conversion between CO₂ and epoxides into cyclic carbonates.     

Tunable luminescence and energy transfer process between Tb3+ and Eu3+ in GYAG:Bi3+, Tb3+, Eu3+ phosphors

A series of Eu³⁺ ions co-doped (Gd_0.9Y_0.1)₃Al₅O₁₂:Bi³⁺, Tb³⁺ (GYAG) phosphors have been synthesized by means of solvothermal reaction method. The XRD pattern of GYAG phosphor sintered at 1500 °C confirms their garnet phase. The luminescence properties of these phosphors have been explored by analyzing their excitation and emission spectra along with their decay curves. The excitation spectra of the GYAG:Bi³⁺, Tb³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors consists of broad bands in the shorter wavelength region due to 4f⁸ → 4f⁷5d¹ transition of Tb³⁺ ions overlapped with 6s² → 6s¹6p¹ (¹S₀ → ³P₁) transition of Bi³⁺ ions and the charge transfer band of Eu³⁺–O^2?. The present phosphors exhibit green and red colors due to ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transition of Tb³⁺ ions and ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ transition of Eu³⁺ ions, respectively. The emission was shifted from green to red color by co-doping with Eu³⁺ ions, which indicate that the energy transfer probability from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ ions are dependent strongly on the concentration of Eu³⁺ ions.     

Luminescent Bimetallic Lanthanide Bioprobes for Cellular Imaging with Excitation in the Visible‐Light Range

A series of homoditopic ligands H₂L^CX (X=4–6) has been designed to self‐assemble with lanthanide ions (Ln^III), resulting in neutral bimetallic helicates of overall composition [Ln₂(L^CX)₃] with the aim of testing the influence of substituents on the photophysical properties, particularly the excitation wavelength. The complex species are thermodynamically stable in water (log β₂₃ in the range 26–28 at pH 7.4) and display a metal‐ion environment with pseudo‐D₃ symmetry and devoid of coordinated water molecules. The emission of Eu^III, Tb^III, and Yb^III is sensitised to various extents, depending on the properties of the ligand donor levels. The best helicate is [Eu₂(L^C5)₃] with excitation maxima at 350 and 365 nm and a quantum yield of 9 %. The viability of cervix cancer HeLa cells is unaffected when incubated with up to 500 μm of the chelate during 24 h. The helicate permeates into the cells by endocytosis and locates into lysosomes, which co‐localise with the endoplasmatic reticulum, as demonstrated by counterstaining experiments. The relatively long excitation wavelength allows easy recording of bright luminescent images on a confocal microscope (λ_exc=405 nm). The new lanthanide bioprobe remains undissociated in the cell medium, and is amenable to facile derivatisation. Examination of data for seven Eu^III and Tb^III bimetallic helicates point to shortcomings in the phenomenological rules of thumb between the energy gap ΔE(³ππ*–⁵D_J) and the sensitisation efficiency of the ligands.     

Electrospinning preparation and drug delivery properties of Eu/Tb doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanofibers

Luminescent Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanofibers (MBGNFs) with average diameter of 100-120 nm were fabricated by electrospinning method. Pluronic P123 and N-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) were used as co-surfactants to generate porous structure of the nanofibers. N₂ adsorption-desorption measurement reveals that the MBGNF:Eu³⁺ have a surface area of 188 m² g⁻¹, a pore volume of 0.246 cm³ g⁻¹ and average pore size of 4.17 nm, and the MBGNF:Tb³⁺ have a surface area of 171 m² g⁻¹, a pore volume of 0.186 cm³ g⁻¹ and average pore size of 3.65 nm. Photoluminescence measurements reveal that the MBGNF:Eu³⁺ show strong red emission dominated by the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺ at 614 nm with a lifetime of 1.356 ms, and MBGNF:Tb³⁺ show strong green emission dominated by the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transition of Tb³⁺ at 544 nm with a lifetime of 1.982 ms. The biocompatibility tests on L929 fibroblast cells using MTT assay reveal low cytotoxicity of MBGNF. These luminescent nanofibers show sustained release properties for ibuprofen (IBU) in vitro. The emission intensities of Eu³⁺ in the drug delivery system vary with the released amount of IBU, thus making the drug release be easily tracked and monitored by the change of the luminescence intensity.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Structural Properties of Luminescent Lanthanide Complexes

The crystal structure of the macrobicyclic europium(III) complex [Eu³⁺ ? 1 ]3Cl^? incorporating a N,N′ - dioxide unit has been determined. It confirms the cryptate nature of this species, the included cation being bound to six N- and two O-sites. The efficient shielding of the bound Eu³⁺ ion may be related to the efficient luminescence of this cryptate and points to the role played by the N-oxide sites. To further explore the effect of such binding groups, the two macrocyclic ligands 4 and 5 bearing two bipyridine N,N′ -dioxide lateral arms have been synthesized and their Eu^III and Tb^III complexes prepared.     

Lanthanide(III)‐Based Multicolor Luminescent Hybrid Gel for Amine Sensing

Bridged polysilsesquioxanes (BPs) show great potential in the development of lanthanide‐based luminescent materials, owing to their capacity to loading lanthanide complexes with high concentration and their flexible processability. A novel BP precursor, consisting of a C ₃‐symmetrical benzene central core moiety, capable of sensitizing the luminescence of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ is reported. Tunable, full‐color luminescent gels were facilely prepared by mixing the as‐synthesized precursor and Ln³⁺ ions in appropriate solvents. By either changing the Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ molar ratio or altering the excitation wavelength, the emission colors of the final gels can be finely tuned. Additionally, the yellow‐colored emissive gel with a molar ratio of Eu³⁺ to Tb³⁺ of 0.5 can be used as an effective ratiometric luminescent sensor for distinguishing amines with lower pK _a (<5) from those with higher pK _a (>9).     

Uniform AMoO4:Ln (A=Sr, Ba; Ln=Eu, Tb) submicron particles: Solvothermal synthesis and luminescent properties

Rare-earth ions (Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺) doped AMoO₄ (A=Sr, Ba) particles with uniform morphologies were successfully prepared through a facile solvothermal process using ethylene glycol (EG) as protecting agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), photoluminescence (PL) spectra and the kinetic decays were performed to characterize these samples. The XRD results reveal that all the doped samples are of high purity and crystallinity and assigned to the tetragonal scheelite-type structure of the AMoO₄ phase. It has been shown that the as-synthesized SrMoO₄:Ln and BaMoO₄:Ln samples show respective uniform peanut-like and oval morphologies with narrow size distribution. The possible growth process of the AMoO₄:Ln has been investigated in detail. The EG/H₂O volume ratio, reaction temperature and time have obvious effect on the morphologies and sizes of the as-synthesized products. Upon excitation by ultraviolet radiation, the AMoO₄:Eu³⁺ phosphors show the characteristic ⁵D₀–⁷F_1–4 emission lines of Eu³⁺, while the AMoO₄:Tb³⁺ phosphors exhibit the characteristic ⁵D₄–⁷F_3–6 emission lines of Tb³⁺. These phosphors exhibit potential applications in the fields of fluorescent lamps and light emitting diodes (LEDs).     

Mono- and Mixed Metal Complexes of Eu3+, Gd3+, and Tb3+ with a Diketone,Bearing Pyrazole Moiety and CHF2-Group: Structure,Color Tuning,and Kinetics of Energy Transfer between Lanthanide Ions

Three novel lanthanide complexes with the ligand 4,4-difluoro-1-(1,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)butane-1,3-dione (HL), namely [LnL₃(H₂O)₂], Ln = Eu, Gd and Tb, were synthesized, and, according to single-crystal X-ray diffraction, are isostructural. The photoluminescent properties of these compounds, as well as of three series of mixed metal complexes [Eu_xTb_1-xL₃(H₂O)₂] (Eu_xTb_1-xL₃), [EuxGd_1-xL₃(H₂O)₂] (Eu_xGd_1-xL₃), and [Gd_xTb_1-xL₃(H₂O)₂] (Gd_xTb_1-xL₃), were studied. The Eu_xTb_1-xL₃ complexes exhibit the simultaneous emission of both Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ ions, and the luminescence color rapidly changes from green to red upon introducing even a small fraction of Eu³⁺. A detailed analysis of the luminescence decay made it possible to determine the observed radiative lifetimes of Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺ and estimate the rate of excitation energy transfer between these ions. For this task, a simple approximation function was proposed. The values of the energy transfer rates determined independently from the luminescence decays of terbium(III) and europium(III) ions show a good correlation.