Sensitive Current Sensor Based on a Lanthanide Framework with Lewis Basic Bipyridyl Sites for Cu2+ Detection

A new Yb-based three-dimensional metal-organic framework with free Lewis basic sites, [Yb₂(ddbpdc)₃(CH₃OH)₂] (referred to as ACBP-6), from YbCl₃ and (6R,8R)-6,8-dimethyl-7,8-dihydro-6H-[1,5]dioxonino[7,6-b:8,9-b']dipyridine-3,11-dicarboxylic acid (H₂ddbpdc) was synthesized by a conventional solvothermal method. Two Yb³⁺ are connected by three carboxyl groups to form the [Yb₂(CO₂)₅] binuclear unit, which is further bridged by two carboxyl moieties to produce a tetranuclear secondary building unit. With further ligation of the ligand ddbpdc^2-, a 3-D MOF with helical channels is constructed. In the MOF, Yb³⁺ only coordinates with O atoms, leaving the bipyridyl N atoms of ddbpdc^2- unoccupied. The unsaturated Lewis basic sites make this framework possible to coordinate with other metal ions. After growing the ACBP-6 in situ into a glass micropipette, a novel current sensor is formed. This sensor shows high selectivity and a high signal-to-noise ratio toward Cu²⁺ detection with a detection limit of 1 μM, due to the stronger coordination ability between the Cu²⁺ and the bipyridyl N atoms.

Luminescence of Macrocyclic Mononuclear DyIII Complexes and Their Immobilization on Functionalized Silicon-Based Surfaces

Two mononuclear Dy^III complexes, [Dy(L¹)(NCS)₃] (Dy-EDA) and [Dy(L²)(NCS)₃] (Dy-DAP), where Lⁿ (n = 1-2) corresponds to a macrocyclic ligand derived from 2,6-pyridinedicarboxaldehyde and ethylenediamine (L¹) and 1,3-diaminepropane (L²) were immobilized on functionalized silicon-based surfaces. This was achieved by the microcontact printing (μCP) technique, generating patterns on a functionalized surface via covalent bond formation through the auxiliary -NCS ligands present in the macrocyclic complex species. With this strategy, it was possible to control the position of the immobilized molecules on the surface. Water contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared reflection absorption spectra (IRRAS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) confirmed that the surfaces were successfully functionalized. Furthermore, the optical properties in a broad temperature range were investigated for the as-prepared compounds. At room temperature, Dy-EDA was shown to emit in the deep blue region (Commission Internationald'Eclairage (CIE): (0.175, 0.128)), while Dy-DAP in the white region (CIE: (0.252, 0.312)). The different CIE values were due to the contribution of the strong emission of the ligand in the case of Dy-EDA. Besides, surface photoluminescence measurements showed that the immobilized complexes retained their bulk emissive properties.

Multifunctional Two-Dimensional Metal-Organic Frameworks for Radionuclide Sequestration and Detection

Two lanthanide-containing porous coordination polymers, [Ln₂(bpdc)₆(phen)₂]·nH₂O (1) and [Ln₂(bpdc)₆(terpy)₂]·3H₂O (2) (Ln = Pr, Nd, or Sm-Dy; bpdc: 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-dicarboxylic acid; phen: 1,10-phenanthroline; and terpy: 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine), have been hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystallographic analyses reveal that compounds 1 and 2 feature Ln³⁺-containing dimeric nodes that form a porous two-dimensional (2D) and nonporous three-dimensional (3D) framework, respectively. Each material is stable in aqueous media between pH 3 and 10 and exhibits modest thermal stability up to ∼400 °C. Notably, a portion of the phen and bpdc ligands in 1 can be removed thermally, without compromising the crystal structure, causing the surface area and pore volume to increase. The optical properties of 1 and 2 with Gd³⁺, Sm³⁺, Tb³⁺, and Eu³⁺ are explored in the solid state using absorbance, fluorescence, and lifetime spectroscopies. The analyses reveal a complex blend of metal and ligand emission in the materials containing Sm³⁺ and Tb³⁺, while those featuring Eu³⁺ are dominated by intense metal-based emission. Compound 1 with Eu³⁺ shows promise for the capture and detection of the uranyl cation (UO₂)²⁺ from aqueous media. In short, uranyl capture is observed at pH 4, and the adsorption thereof is detectable via vibrational and fluorescence spectroscopies and colorimetrically as the off-white color of 1 turns yellow with uptake. Finally, both 1 and 2 with Eu³⁺ produce bright red emission upon irradiation with Cu Kα X-ray radiation (8.04 keV) and are candidate materials for applications in solid-state scintillation.

A systematic study of the optical properties of mononuclear hybrid organo–inorganic lanthanoid complexes

Mononuclear organic–inorganic hybrid lanthanoid complexes show that the combination of both types of ligands improves the optical response compared to the inorganic analogue, thus having potential optical applications due to their thermal response.

Tuning White Light Emission in Dinuclear Phenoxo Bridged DyIII Complexes

A new series of dinuclear dysprosium(III) complexes, [Dy₂(L^CH₃)₂(NO₃)₂(MeOH)₂] (I), [Dy₂(L^CH₃)₂(NO₃)₂(DMF)₂]·2DMF (II), [Dy₂(L^Cl)₂(NO₃)₂(DMF)₂]·2DMF (III), and [Dy₂(L^CH₃O)₂(NO₃)₂(DMF)₂] (IV), with 2,2'-[[(2-pyridinylmethyl)imino]di(methylene)]bis(4-R-phenol), where R = CH₃, Cl, and CH₃O, were investigated as potential white light emitters. All octacoordinated dysprosium(III) are phenoxo-bridged species and have a similar coordination environment. Nevertheless, I has a MeOH ligand molecule, while for II-IV a DMF ligand replaces that of MeOH. The nature of the coordinated solvent molecule plays an important role in the behavior of the thermal dependence of the Y/B (yellow/blue) emission ratio of the Dy^III complexes (Y: ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_13/2, yellow and B: ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_15/2, blue transitions),, since for I the variation of this ratio is significant, while for the other Dy^III complexes with DMF as ligand the ratio remains constant within experimental error. At room temperature the CIE (Commission International d'Eclairage) color coordinates for the Dy^III complexes, I (0.286, 0.317), III (0.302, 0.324), and IV (0.322, 0.348) are close to the NTSC (National Television System(s) Committee) standard value for white color. Varying the temperature from 16 to 300 K the CIE coordinates for I change from the blueish to white region of the chromaticity diagram, while those of II present an inverse thermal dependence as compared to I. The CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) values at room temperature for I (8384 K), II (17235 K), and IV (5948 K) permit us to consider these complexes as candidates for white cold light emitters, the high value of II being uncommon. For I and II the CCT values vary strongly with temperature, showing a decrease with increasing temperature for I, and an increase with increasing temperature for II, thus making evident the influence on the photophysical properties of the nature of the coordinated solvent molecule in these complexes.

Probing Optical Anisotropy and Polymorph-Dependent Photoluminescence in [Ln2 ] Complexes by Hyperspectral Imaging on Single Crystals

Two homodinuclear and one heterodinuclear lanthanide (Ln)-based complexes of the general formula [Ln₂ (bpm)(tfaa)₆ ] (Ln=Eu (1), Tb (2), Eu-Tb (3), bpm=2,2'-bipyrimidine, tfaa^- =1,1,1-trifluoroacetylacetonate) were synthesized and characterized by single-crystal photoluminescence spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging. Complexes 1 and 2 crystallize in two polymorphic structures, while three polymorphs were isolated for 3, namely having needle-, plate-, and block-like morphologies. Single-crystal photoluminescence spectroscopy and imaging on Eu³⁺ -containing 1 and 3 revealed polymorph-dependent J-splitting of the hypersensitive ⁵ D₀ →⁷ F₂ Eu³⁺ transition as well as electric-to-magnetic dipole emission intensity ratios. According to these observations, the lowest symmetry chemical environment was attributed to the Eu³⁺ ions present in the needle-like polymorph, also in agreement with single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. More importantly, hyperspectral imaging on all three single-crystal polymorphs of 3 exhibits optical anisotropy with photoluminescence enhancement at specific crystallographic faces. This behavior was ascribed to the distinct molecular packing of the Ln-Ln dimers in each polymorphic crystal as well as to face-specific local symmetry of the Eu³⁺ centers. Overall, opto-structural relationships of three Ln-Ln dimers and their single-crystal polymorphs were established as a particularly promising avenue for control of photoluminescence by chemical crystal engineering.