The
design of efficient luminescent lanthanide materials
with a
wide range of different excitation wavelengths in the UVA, UVB, and
UVC regions, as well as under sunlight exposure, is highly desirable
for application as molecular light-converting devices. In this work,
[Ln(fluf)3(L)] complexes (Ln3+: Eu, Gd, and
Tb) and doped PMMA:(1%)Tb(fluf)3(L) films, where fluf stands
for the flufenamate ligand and L is H2O, phen, tppo, topo,
and dpso, were successfully prepared by a facile one-pot method, and
their photophysical properties were also investigated. The Ln3+ compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier
transform infrared absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis,
X-ray powder diffraction, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques.
The Eu3+ complexes present very weak emission intensities
at 300 K temperature, showing very low intrinsic quantum yield (Q
Eu
Eu) values due to a highly operative luminescence quenching by a low-lying
ligand to metal charge transfer state. However, these values are significantly
increased when obtained at low temperature (77 K). For Tb3+ complexes and the doped PMMA, polymeric films revealed an unprecedented
bright emission under excitation at UVA, UVB, and UVC radiation. In
addition, the doped polymers under sunlight exposure show the characteristic 5D4 → 7F6–0 transitions
of the Tb3+ ion, exhibiting green emission color. These
luminescent doped polymeric materials act as efficient energy harvesters
and converters. Hence, the optical results show that the PMMA:(1%)Tb(fluf)3(L) photonic materials are highly versatile and desirable,
presenting suitable application as efficient light-converting molecular
devices and as luminescent solar concentrators.