Synthesis, crystal structure and luminescence properties of lanthanide coordination polymers with a new semirigid bridging thenylsalicylamide ligand

•We present lanthanide coordination polymers of a new semirigid exo-bidentate ligand.•The lanthanide coordination polymers exhibit interesting structures.•The luminescent properties of Tb(III) complexes are discussed in detail.

Two new lanthanide coordination polymers based on a semirigid bridging thenylsalicylamide ligand {[Ln2L3(NO3)6]·(C4H8O2)2}∞ were obtained and characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, IR and TGA measurements. The two compounds are isostructure and possess one dimensional trapezoid ladder-like chain built up from the connection of isolated LnO3(NO3)3 polyhedra (distorted monocapped antisquare prism) through the ligand. The photoluminescence analysis suggest that there is an efficient ligand-to-Ln(III) energy transfer in Tb(III) complex and the ligand is an efficient “antenna” for Tb(III). From a more general perspective, the results demonstrated herein provide the possibility of controlling the formation of the desired lanthanide coordination structure to enrich the crystal engineering strategy and enlarge the arsenal for developing excellent luminescent lanthanide coordination polymers.

Graphical abstractWe present herein one dimensional lanthanide coordination polymers of a new semirigid exo-bidentate ligand which not only display interesting structures but also possess strong luminescence properties.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide