Nanometrization of Lanthanide-Based Coordination Polymers
Résumé
Heteronuclear lanthanide-based coordination polymers are microcryst. powders, the luminescence properties of which can be precisely tuned by judicious choice of the rare-earth ions. In this study, we demonstrate that such materials can also be obtained as stable solns. of nanoparticles in non-toxic polyols. Bulk powders of the formula [Ln2-2xLn'2x(bdc)3[n.8901]4 H2O]∞ (where H2bdc denotes 1,4-benzene-dicarboxylic acid, 0≤x≤1, and Ln and Ln' denote lanthanide ions of the series La to Tm plus Y) afford nanoparticles that have been characterized by dynamic light-scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. Their luminescence properties are similar to those of the bulk materials. Stabilities vs. time and vs. diln. with another solvent have been studied. This study has revealed that it is possible to tune the size of the nanoparticles. This process offers a reliable means of synthesizing suspensions of nanoparticles with tunable luminescence properties and tunable size distributions in a green solvent (glycerol). The process is also extendable to other coordination polymers and other solvents (ethylene glycol, for example). It constitutes a new route for the facile solubilization of lanthanide-based coordination polymers.