Syntheses and luminescence properties of EU(III) complexes with benzoic acid carboxymethyl ester derivatives

Abstract

Benzoic acid carboxymethyl ester derivatives (BACED) with different substituents and their Eu(III) complexes (Eu(BACED)3(H2O)2) were synthesized, BACED being a bidentate ligand. The as-prepared complexes showed cloud flake aggregation structures with size in the range of 50–60nm. The luminescence spectra of the complexes indicated effective energy transfer from BACED to Eu3+. Three distinct peaks were observed in the excitation spectra of the Eu(III) complexes containing BACED and the as-prepared complexes exhibited effective emission when the wavelengths corresponding to these peaks were used as the excitation wavelengths. The longest luminescence lifetime of the as-prepared complexes was 1099.25µs and the best luminescent quantum efficiency was 59.21%. These results indicate that the Eu(III) complexes with BACED have excellent potential for use as luminescent materials.