Thermally stable luminescent lanthanide complexes in zeolite L

Organolanthanide complexes inside the nanochannels of zeolite L crystals have been synthesized using a ship in a bottle procedure by inserting 2,2-bipyridine (bpy) from gas phase into the nanochannels of Ln3+-zeolite L crystals; Ln3+ = Tb3+ or Eu3+. The resulting Ln3+(bpy)n-zeolite L host-guest materials were characterized by FT–IR and photoluminescence spectroscopy, by thermogravimetry and by SEM. The encapsulated luminescent organolanthanide complexes show remarkably increased thermal stability.