Six novel rare earth metal organic-frameworks with the general formula {[RE 2 (2,5-tdc) 3 (dmso) 2 ]ÁH 2 O} n (RE = Y III , Pr III , Nd III , Sm III , Er III and Tm III ; 2,5-tdc 2À = 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylate anion; dmso = dimethylsulfoxide) were synthesized and their complete characterization, including single crystal X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis (TG/DTA) are reported. Structure analysis reveals that RE III ions show distorted capped trigonal-prismatic geometry. The 2,5-tdc 2À ligands connect four RE III centers, adopting (j 1-j 1)-(j 1-j 1)-l 4 coordination mode, generating an interesting 3D network with potential application for gas adsorption. Photophysical properties were studied using excitation/emission spectra and the photoluminescence data show the near infrared (NIR) and visible (Vis) emission with the characteristic transitions: 1 D 2 ? 3 F 2 for Pr III , 4 F 3/2 ? 4 I J (J = 9/2, 11/2 and 13/2) for Nd III , 4 G 5/2 ? 6 H J (J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2 and 11/2) for Sm III and 4 I 13/2 ? 4 I 15/2 for Er III. This study indicates that 2,5-tdc 2À ligand is able to act as a sensitizer for emission in NIR and Vis region in these ions.