Design and Photophysical Characterization of Dinuclear Lanthanide Complexes Incorporating Spacer Ligands along with their Mononuclear Analogues: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Two heteroleptic homo-dinuclear complexes of Dy(III) and Sm(III) with pyrazine (pyz) as spacer ligand [Ln(TFPB)3(μ-pyz)Ln(TFPB)3], along with their mononuclear analogue [Ln(TFPB)3(pyz)2] were synthesized and characterized. Diketone TFPB (4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione) was incorporated as main ligand. NMR analysis depicted single peak for pyz protons for dinuclear complexes and two for mononuclear ones, which confirmed the bridging nature of pyz in former complexes. UV spectra revealed two absorption bands despite of the different metal ion and nuclearity of complex, suggesting the absorption of UV-radiation by coordinated moieties inspite of the metal ion involved. The emission spectra exhibited significant intensity of yellow and orange-red peaks for Dy(III) and Sm(III) complexes, respectively, indicating effective sensitization of metal center. The enhanced emission intensity observed in dinuclear Sm-complexes, compared to their mononuclear counterparts, indicates a synergistic effect of the two metal ions on the overall emission properties, rather than a mere additive effect that would be expected from two independent mononuclear units. The photoluminescent properties of synthesized complexes were examined and discussed, suggesting potential applications in display devices. The Correlated Color Temperature (CCT) of these complexes falls within a range suitable for warm light sources and the highest branching ratio observed for 4G5/2 → 6H9/2 (for Sm3+ ion) and 4F9/2 → 6H13/2 (for Dy3+ ion) transitions suggests potential application in laser amplification. The alignment between band gap measurements obtained from UV and CV analyses highlight the possibility of employing these complexes in semiconductor technologies.