The influence of precursor chemistry on thermal decomposition and particle growth in a rapid microwave-assisted strategy was investigated, demonstrating the selective synthesis of small and ultrasmall luminescent lanthanide-doped NaGdF4 nanoparticles.

Single‐particle fluorescent probes with the capacity to infer specific intracellular conditions, for instance, have great application potential in the realm of biomedicine. Imaging techniques that improve our understanding of the fluorescence processes at a single‐particle level are thus instrumental in actualizing this potential. This study demonstrates the importance of implementing synergistic single‐particle spectroscopic techniques to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the optical anisotropy exhibited by upconverting erbium and ytterbium co‐doped lithium yttrium tetrafluoride (LiYF4:Yb3+/Er3+) microparticles. More specifically, optical trapping and single‐particle polarized emission spectroscopy is herein leveraged to provide a plausible explanation for the spatial emission intensity distribution variation exhibited by LiYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ microparticles during hyperspectral imaging. By probing the polarized emission stemming from a single, optically trapped LiYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ microparticle, it is possible to find evidence that the emission intensity anisotropy exhibited by the respective microparticles during hyperspectral imaging arises as a consequence of the selection rules governing the emission probability in rare‐earth (RE3+) ions doped into a uniaxially birefringent host matrix such as LiYF4.

Eleven new lanthanide (Ln = Nd-Lu)-thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (25-TDC)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (terpy) coordination polymers () which employ a dual ligand strategy have been synthesized hydrothermally and structurally characterized by single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. Two additional members of the series ( and ) were made with Ce(3+) and Pr(3+) and characterized via powder X-ray diffraction only. The series is comprised of three similar structures wherein differences due to the lanthanide contraction manifest in Ln(3+) coordination number as well as the number of bound and solvent water molecules within the crystal lattice. Structure type I (Ce(3+)-Sm(3+)) contains two nine-coordinate Ln(3+) metal centers each with a bound water molecule. Structure type II (Eu(3+)-Ho(3+)) features a nine and an eight coordinate Ln(3+) metal along with one bound and one solvent water molecule. Structure type III (Er(3+)-Lu(3+)) includes two eight-coordinate Ln(3+) metal centers with both water molecules residing in the lattice. Assembly into supramolecular 3D networks via π-π interactions is observed for all three structure types, whereas structure types II and III also feature hydrogen-bonding interactions via the well-known C-HO and O-HO synthons. Visible and near-IR luminescence studies were performed on compounds , , , and at room temperature. As a result characteristic near-IR luminescent bands of Pr(3+), Nd(3+), Sm(3+), and Yb(3+) as well as visible bands of Sm(3+) were observed.