Photophysical properties of dysprosium complexes with aromatic carboxylic acids by molecular spectroscopy

A series of luminescent dysprosium complexes with different aromatic carboxylic acids have been synthesized and characterized. The photophysical properties of these complexes have been studied with all kinds of molecular spectroscopy such as infrared spectra, ultraviolet spectra, phosphorescence spectra and fluorescence spectra. Especially the energy match and intramolecular energy transfer process between the triplet state energies of aromatic carboxylic acids and the resonant emissive energy level of Dy3+ was discussed in detail for the first time. Which indicates that the heterocyclic aromatic carboxylic acids (pyridine-carboxylic acids) are more suitable for the luminescence of Dy3+ than benzoic acid derivatives. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.