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Synthesis and photophysical characterisation of [Ln(hfac)3DPEPO] complexes (with Ln = Eu, Tb, Yb, Nd, Gd) has been carried out to investigate the factors responsible for the variation in total photoluminescence quantum yield within this family of emissive lanthanide complexes. Electronic absorption and emission spectroscopy, in conjunction with DFT calculations of the excited state of the Eu complex, elucidate the role of each ligand in the sensitisation of the lanthanide through the antenna effect. The X-ray crystal structure of [Gd(hfac)3DPEPO] has been determined and shows an 8-coordinate environment around the Gd and a ten-membered chelate ring involving the DPEPO ligand. Total photoluminescence quantum yields were measured to be 6%, 1% and 2% for Ln = Tb, Nd and Yb, respectively, in comparison with around 80% for Ln = Eu. The lower quantum yield for Nd and Yb, compared with Eu, can be attributed to more efficient quenching of the excited Ln state by high-energy oscillations within the ligands, whereas the lower quantum yield for Tb is assigned to a combination of poor energy transfer from the ligand excited state to the Tb and longer radiative lifetime.

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The photobehavior of two 1,4-distyrylbenzene analogues where the central benzene ring is asymmetrically substituted with a pyrid-4-ylethenyl group at one side and thien-2-ylethenyl or a p-nitrostyryl group at the other side, has been studied in two solvents at room temperature. The four geometrical isomers (EE, ZE, EZ, and ZZ) of each compound were separated by the combined use of HPLC and spectrophotometric techniques. The radiative/reactive competition in their excited state relaxation was particularly examined: the diabatic/adiabatic contributions were estimated and a reasonable interpretation of the photoisomerization mechanism was proposed. The role of the conformational isomers was also investigated by measured and computed spectral data. Since the different electron donor/acceptor character of the side groups of these molecules can induce charge transfer phenomena that can affect the relaxation pathways of their excited states, the photobehavior was compared in inert and polar solvents to clarify the role of the intramolecular charge transfer. The latter was found to affect markedly the relaxation properties and to induce interesting fluorosolvatochromic effects, particularly in the p-nitro derivative. The participation of the triplet state in the reaction mechanism of the latter was also investigated by flash photolysis and sensitized experiments.