“…Another feature of H 3 bidc is the relatively large -conjugated system in the benzimidazole ring which might contribute to desirable fluorescence properties resulting from the interaction between the 1H-benzimidazole-5,6-dicarboxylate (Hbidc 2À ) anion and the metal ion. This ligand has been used extensively by us and other groups in the construction of CPs with both single transition metals and lanthanide ions (Liu et al, 2019;Chai et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2016a,b;Jin et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2013Wang et al, , 2015Wang et al, , 2016Li et al, 2014;Xiong et al, 2015;Sun et al, 2012Sun et al, , 2013Gao et al, 2013;Xu et al, 2012;Ding et al, 2012;Wei et al, 2009).…”