title: Lanthanide-centered organic-inorganic hybrids through a functionalized aza-crown ether bridge: coordination bonding assembly, microstructure and multicolor luminescence.
abstract: This work focuses on the synthesis of a series of chemically bonded lanthanide/inorganic/organic hybrid materials (CE-15-Si-Ln, CE-16-Si-Ln, CE-18-Si-Ln) containing a novel aza-crown ether organic component. The materials show red emission (Ln = Eu), green emission (Ln = Tb) and near-infrared (NIR) luminescence (Ln = Nd). Three functional molecular precursors (denoted as CE-15-Si, CE-16-Si, CE-18-Si) have been synthesized with two or three N-substituted pendant arms containing chelating groups which can not only fulfill the high coordination numbers of Ln(3+) ions but also form an inorganic Si-O-Si network with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The resulting amorphous materials exhibit regular uniform microstructures for the organic and the inorganic components which are covalently linked through Si-O bonds via a self-assembly process. These hybrids present strong luminescent intensities in red, green and NIR ranges by embedding selected Ln(3+) ions into the hybrid system, which may lead to potential applications in organic electroluminescence displays, light emitting devices, functional membranes or chemical/biomedical sensors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Tongji University, Siping Road 1239, Shanghai, 200092, China.
authors.forename: Jin-Liang
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yan