A Water-Stable 2-Fold Interpenetrating cds Net as a Bifunctional Fluorescence-Responsive Sensor for Selective Detection of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) Ions

Reactions of ZnSO4∙7H2O, N-(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)-4-(pyridin-4-yl)-1,8-naphthalimide (NI-mbpy-34), and 5-bromobenzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (Br-1,3-H2bdc) afforded a luminescent coordination polymer, [Zn(Br-1,3-bdc)(NI-mbpy-34)]n (1), under hydro(solvo)thermal conditions. Single-crystal X-ray structure analysis revealed that 1 features a three-dimensional (3-D) 2-fold interpenetrating cds (or CdSO4) net topology with the point symbol of (65·8), where the Zn(II) centers are considered as 4-connected square-planar nodes. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) patterns and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis confirmed that 1 shows high chemical and thermal stabilities. Notably, 1 displayed solvent dependent photoluminescence properties; the fluorescence intensity and emission maximum of 1 in different solvent suspensions varied when a solvent was changed. Furthermore, the H2O suspension of 1 exhibited blue fluorescence emission and thus can be treated as a selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for turn-on detection of Cr3+ cations through absorbance caused enhancement (ACE) mechanism and turn-off detection of Cr2O72−/CrO42− anions through collaboration of the absorption competition and energy transfer process, with limit of detection (LOD) as low as μM scale.

Analyses of energy transfer of Cr3+ and Nd3+ co-doped Y3Al5O12 ceramic powders at the 4T1 level of Cr3+ ion excitation

The concentration dependence of energy transfer from Cr3+ to Nd3+ at the 4T1 level excitation in Nd/Cr:YAG was investigated by the fluorescence decay curves of Cr3+ and Nd3+ for Nd/Cr:YAG and Cr:YAG ceramic powders in the Cr3+ concentration range of 0.1 to 6.0 mol%. The energy transfer process between Cr3+ and Nd3+ at the 4T1 level excitation is tried to explain using a rate equation that assumes energy transfer from the 2E–4T2 level to Nd3+ on the basis of dipole–dipole interactions, the same as the 4T2 level excitation. In conclusion, the energy excited to the 4T1 level will relax non-radiatively to the 2E–4T2 level and then transfer to Nd3+. It is presumed there will be no direct transfer from the 4T1 level to Nd3+. Our rate equations will be useful when simultaneously exciting the 4T1 and 4T2 levels of Cr3+ in Nd/Cr:YAG using broadband pumping sources.

A Significant Fluorescent Aptamer Sensor Based on Carbon Dots and Graphene Oxide for Highly Selective Detection of Progesterone

In this paper, a fluorescent aptamer sensor was constructed based on the carbon dots and graphene oxide. This sensor combines the excellent fluorescence performance of carbon dots with the high specificity of aptamers to detect progesterone with high sensitivity and selectivity. In the absence of progesterone, the carbon dots-aptamer system and graphene oxide form a fluorescence resonance energy transfer process(FRET), which quenches the fluorescence of the carbon dots. When progesterone is added, the aptamer specifically binds to progesterone, resulting the fluorescence of the carbon dots is recovered. At optimal conditions, the fluorescence intensity recovered by the carbon dots has a linear relationship with the concentration of progesterone in the range of 0.1-120 nM, and the detection limit is 3.3×10 -11 M. Besides, the sensor has satisfactory detection results of progesterone in milk, indicating that this method has a enormous potential for application in food safety.

Theoretical Study of 8-hydroxyquinoline Derivatives as Potential Antennas in Lanthanide complexes: Photophysical Properties and Elucidation of Energy Transfer Pathways.

A series of 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives were characterized and tested as potential antennas in a set of designed lanthanide complexes. The molecular structure and ligand localized nature of the excited states were studied in the framework of the multiconfigurational methods CASSCF/NEVPT2 combined with TDDFT- based approaches, which allows applying a fragmentation scheme in the analysis of the most probable sensitization pathway via antenna effect. The photophysical properties of all the complexes and antennas were carefully analyzed, and the most probable energy transfer pathways were elucidated. Rate constants for photophysical processes involved in the mechanism were calculated, showing a significant contribution of the vibronic coupling in all cases and the predominant intersystem-crossing between S1 and T1 states was demonstrated from the analysis of the nature of the wave function of those states. The energy transfer process described herein demonstrates the possibility of Eu(III) and Nd(III) sensitization by the studied ligands. The proposed methodology gives a complete picture of the antenna excited state dynamics.

Revealing the influence of steric bulk on the triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion performance of conjugated polymers

A series of poly(phenylene-vinylene)-based copolymers are synthesized using the Gilch method incorporating monomers with sterically bulky sidechains. The photochemical upconversion performance of these polymers as emitters are investigated using a palladium tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin triplet sensitizer and MEH-PPV as reference. Increased incorporation of sterically bulky monomers leads to a reduction in the upconversion efficiency despite improved photoluminescence quantum yield. A phosphorescence quenching study indicates issues with the energy transfer process between the triplet sensitizer and the copolymers. The best performance with 0.18% upconversion quantum yield is obtained for the copolymer containing 10% monomer with bulky sidechains.