Synthesis and fluorescence properties of dysprosium‐coordinated with high‐Tg polyaryletherketones containing carboxyl side groups

A series of novel dysprosium coordination polymers were synthesized using new high‐T_g carboxyl‐containing polyaryletherketones (PEKs) as macromolecular ligands and a small molecule, 1,10‐phenanthroline, as co‐ligand. The FTIR, WAXD, and UV–Vis results indicated that the dysprosium ions were coordinated simultaneously with carboxyl group of PEKs and 1,10‐phenanthroline, and homogeneously distributed along the polymer backbone. These obtained dysprosium coordination polymers showed excellent film‐formation properties. Moreover, all the dysprosium coordination polymers could exhibit the intense characteristic emission of dysprosium ions under UV excitation. Meanwhile, the emission intensity increased with increasing dysprosium ion content, and no obvious fluorescence quenching happened at the Dy³⁺ ion content up to 10.71 wt%, which was attributed to the very rigid structure of PEK and synergistic coordination effect of PEK and 1,10‐phenanthroline. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.