A family of three-dimensional 3d-4f and 4d-4f heterometallic coordination polymers based on mixed isonicotinate and 2-sulfobenzoate ligands: syntheses, structures and photoluminescent properties

Hydrothermal reactions of isonicotinic acid (Hina), 2-sulfobenzoic acid (H(2)sba), d-block metal salts and lanthanide oxides/hydroxides yielded 17 three-dimensional (3D) 3d-4f and 4d-4f heterometallic coordination polymers (HCPs). They are formulated as LaAg(sba)(ina)(2)](n) (1), Ln(2)Ag(2)(sba)(2)(ina)(4)(H(2)O)(2)](n) Ln = Pr (2), Nd (3), Sm (4), Eu (5), Gd (6), Tb (7), Dy (8), Ho (9), Er (10)] and Ln(2)Cu(2)(sba)(2)(ina)(4)(H(2)O)(2)](n) Ln = La (11), Pr (12), Nd (13), Sm (14), Eu (15), Gd (16), Tb (17)]. Their structures were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, elemental analysis (EA), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It reveals that they represent two structural types of 3D HCPs. Furthermore, the investigations of their solid-state photoluminescent (PL) property demonstrate the extraordinary emission behaviors. HCP 1(La-Ag) exhibits tunable blue-to-green PL emissions by variation of excitation light. HCPs 6(Gd-Ag), 11(La-Cu), 12(Pr-Cu) and 16(Gd-Cu) show d(10)-metal-based ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) or metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) emissions. HCPs 3(Nd-Ag), 4(Sm-Ag), 5(Eu-Ag), 7(Tb-Ag), 8(Dy-Ag), 13(Nd-Cu), 14(Sm-Cu), 15(Eu-Cu) and 17(Tb-Cu) display characteristic PL emissions of the corresponding Ln(III) ions, while both d(10)-metal-based and 4f-metal-centered emissions are observed in the emission spectra of 4(Sm-Ag), 8(Dy-Ag), 14(Sm-Cu) and 17(Tb-Cu).