Triboluminescence of Lanthanide Coordination Polymers with Face-to-Face Arranged Substituents

Luminescence upon the grinding of solid materials (triboluminescence, TL) has long been a puzzling phenomenon in natural science and has also attracted attention because of its broad application in optics. It has been generally considered that the TL spectra exhibit similar profiles as those of photoluminescence (PL), although they occur from distinct stimuli. Herein, we describe for the first time a large spectral difference between these two physical phenomena using lanthanide^III coordination polymers with efficient TL and PL properties. They are composed of emission centers (Tb^III and Eu^III ions), antenna (hexafluoroacetylacetonate=hfa), and bridging ligands (2,5-bis(diphenylphosphoryl)furan=dpf). The emission color upon grinding (yellow TL) is clearly different from that upon UV irradiation (reddish-orange PL) in Tb^III/Eu^III-mixed coordination polymers [Tb,Eu(hfa)₃(dpf)]_n (Tb/Eu=1). The results directly indicate the discrete excitation processes of PL and TL.     

Hetero Face‐to‐Face Porphyrin Array with Cooperative Effects of Coordination and Host–Guest Complexation

We successfully synthesized a hetero face‐to‐face porphyrin array composed of ZnTPP and RuTPP(DABCO)₂ (TPP: 5, 10, 15, 20‐tetraphenylporphyrin, DABCO: 1,4‐diazabi‐cyclo[2.2.2]octane) in 2:1 molar ratio. A cyclic Zn porphyrin dimer (ZnCP) was also used as the host molecule for the Ru porphyrin. In the latter, the Ru‐DABCO bonding in RuTPP(DABCO)₂ was stabilized by the host‐guest complexation. Reaction progress kinetic analysis of the ligand substitution reaction of RuTPP(DABCO)₂ and that in ZnCP revealed the stabilization mechanism of the Ru‐DABCO bonding. Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the Zn porphyrin to the Ru porphyrin was observed in the porphyrin array. The host‐guest stabilization of unstable complex for construction of a donor—acceptor–donor structure is expected to be a new method for an artificial photosynthesis.     

Emissive and Cell‐Permeable 3‐Pyridyl‐ and 3‐Pyrazolyl‐4‐azaxanthone Lanthanide Complexes and Their Behaviour in cellulo

A series of seven emissive europium(III) and terbium(III) complexes was prepared, incorporating a 3‐pyridyl‐4‐azaxanthone or 3‐pyrazolyl‐4‐azaxanthone sensitising moiety within a polydentate macrocyclic ligand. High overall emission quantum yields in aqueous media are attenuated in the presence of protein or certain oxy anions due to displacement of the N,N′‐chelated sensitiser. Nevertheless, these complexes are taken into cells and tend to localise over the first few hours in mitochondria before being trafficked to endosomal compartments. Cell uptake studies, in the presence of competitive inhibitors or promoters of well‐defined uptake pathways, reveal a common uptake mechanism involving macropinocytosis.     

Stereoselective Control by Face‐to‐Face Versus Edge‐to‐Face Aromatic Interactions: The Case of C3‐TiIV Amino Trialkolate Sulfoxidation Catalysts

The stereoselective oxidation of differently functionalised benzyl phenyl sulfides has been examined by using enantiopure Ti^IV trialkanolamine complexes. These complexes efficiently catalyse the sulfoxidation with good stereoselectivities. The data highlight the contribution to the stereoselectivity of steric effects and non‐covalent π–π interactions between the aromatic rings of the Ti^IV complex and those pertaining to the substrates. Enantiomeric excesses have been correlated with the electrostatic potential surfaces (EPS) of the reacting sulfides. The overall study leads to a mechanistic interpretation that explains the stereoselectivity of the system and dissects the role of aromatic and steric interactions in the stereoselective process.     

Synthesis,Crystal Structures,and Photoluminescence of Lanthanide Coordination Polymers with 4‐Acetamidobenzoate

The reactions of Ln(NO₃)₃ · 6H₂O and 4‐acetamidobenzoic acid (Haba) with 4,4′‐bipyridine (4,4′‐bpy) in ethanol solution resulted in three new lanthanide coordination polymers, namely {[Ln(aba)₃(H₂O)₂] · 0.5(4,4′‐bpy) · 2H₂O}_∞ [Ln = Sm ( 1 ), Gd ( 2 ), and Er ( 3 ), aba = 4‐acetamidobenzoate]. Compounds 1 – 3 are isomorphous and have one‐dimensional chains bridged by four aba anions. 4,4′‐Bipyridine molecules don’t take part in the coordination with Ln^III ions and occur in the lattice as guest molecules. Moreover, the adjacent 1D chains in the complex are further linked through numerous N–H ··· O and O–H ··· O hydrogen bonds to form a 3D supramolecular network. In addition, complex 1 in the solid state shows characteristic emission in the visible region at room temperature.     

Coordination Polymer Framework Based On‐Chip Micro‐Supercapacitors with AC Line‐Filtering Performance

On‐chip micro‐supercapacitors (MSCs) are important Si‐compatible power‐source backups for miniaturized electronics. Despite their tremendous advantages, current on‐chip MSCs require harsh processing conditions and typically perform like resistors when filtering ripples from alternating current (AC). Herein, we demonstrated a facile layer‐by‐layer method towards on‐chip MSCs based on an azulene‐bridged coordination polymer framework (PiCBA). Owing to the good carrier mobility (5×10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹) of PiCBA, the permanent dipole moment of azulene skeleton, and ultralow band gap of PiCBA, the fabricated MSCs delivered high specific capacitances of up to 34.1 F cm⁻³ at 50 mV s⁻¹ and a high volumetric power density of 1323 W cm⁻³. Most importantly, such MCSs exhibited AC line‐filtering performance (−73° at 120 Hz) with a short resistance–capacitance constant of circa 0.83 ms.     

Recent Advances in Rare Earth‐Doped Hydrides

The optical properties of rare earth ions in different inorganic host materials, for instance oxides, silicates, borates, or nitrides, have been used in applications for many years, from color TV to fluorescent tubes, lasers, or pc‐LEDs. However, rare earth metal ion‐doped hydrides have not really been considered as host lattices and up to now only been studied in a relatively small number of investigations. Yet, for certain metal hydrides these studies, e.g., allowed the determination of the crystal field strength and nephelauxetic effect of the hydride anion using the Eu²⁺ 5d excited state. In air‐sensitive hydrides, the use may be restricted to fundamental studies and local probes. But recently more and more air‐stable mixed anionic hydrides have been discovered, which may serve as hosts. This short review summarizes the synthesis and characterization of rare earth metal ion‐doped hydrides reported so far.