Solar energy is an ample renewable energy resource, with photovoltaic (PV) technology enabling a direct route from light to electricity. Currently, PVs are limited in photon conversion efficiency, due in...

The development of long-lived luminescent nanoparticles for lifetime imaging is of wide interest as luminescence lifetime is environmentally sensitive detection independent of probe concentration. We report novel iridium-coated gold nanoparticles as probes for multiphoton lifetime imaging with characteristic long luminescent lifetimes based on iridium luminescence in the range of hundreds of nanoseconds and a short signal on the scale of picoseconds based on gold allowing multichannel detection. The tailor-made IrC complex forms stable, water-soluble gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of 13, 25, and 100 nm, bearing 1400, 3200, and 22 000 IrC complexes per AuNP, respectively. The sensitivity of the iridium signal on the environment of the cell is evidenced with an observed variation of lifetimes. Clusters of iridium nanoparticles show lifetimes from 450 to 590 ns while lifetimes of 660 and 740 ns are an average of different points in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Independent luminescence lifetime studies of the nanoparticles in different media and under aggregation conditions postulate that the unusual long lifetimes observed can be attributed to interaction with proteins rather than nanoparticle aggregation. Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRF), confocal microscopy studies and 3D luminescence lifetime stacks confirm the presence of bright, nonaggregated nanoparticles inside the cell. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) analysis further supports the presence of the nanoparticles in cells. The iridium-coated nanoparticles provide new nanoprobes for lifetime detection with dual channel monitoring. The combination of the sensitivity of the iridium signal to the cell environment together with the nanoscaffold to guide delivery offer opportunities for iridium nanoparticles for targeting and tracking in in vivo models.

An ideal annihilator in triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) can achieve a maximum of 50% quantum efficiency. This spin statistical limit depends on the energies of triplet states of the...

The design of coordination sites around lanthanide ions has a strong impact on the sensitization of their luminescent signal. An imidodiphosphonate anionic binding site is attractive as it can be functionalized with "remote" sensitizer units, such as phenoxy moieties, namely, HtpOp, accompanied by an increased distance of the lanthanide from the ligand high-energy stretching vibrations which quench the luminescence signal, hence providing flexible shielding of the lanthanide. We report the formation and isolation of Ln(tpOp)3 complexes where Ln = Er, Gd, Tb, Dy, Eu, and Yb and the Y(tpOp)3 diamagnetic analogue. The complexes are formed from reaction of KtpOp and the corresponding LnCl3•6H2O salt either by titration and in situ formation or by mixing and isolation. All complexes are seven-coordinated by three tpOp ligand plus one ethanol molecule, except for Yb(tpOp)3 which has no solvent coordinated. Phosphorus NMR shows characteristic shifts to support the coordination of the lanthanide complexes. The complexes display visible and near-infrared luminescence with long lifetimes even for the near-infrared complexes which range from 3.3 μs for Nd(tpOp)3 to 20 μs for Yb(tpOp)3. The ligand shows more efficient sensitization than the imidodiphosphinate analogues for all lanthanide complexes with a notable quantum yield of the Tb(tpOp)3 complex at 45%. We attribute this to the properties of the remote sensitizer unit and its positioning further away from the lanthanide, eliminating quenching of high energy C−H vibrations from the ligand shell. Calculations of the ligand shielding support the photophysical properties of the complexes. These results suggest that these binding sites are promising in the further development of the lanthanide complexes in optoelectronic devices for telecommunications and new light emitting materials.

Dual detection systems are of interest for rapid, accurate data collection in sensing systems and in vitro testing. We introduce an IrIII complex with a boronic acid receptor site attached to the 2‐phenylpyridine ligand as an ideal probe with photo‐ and electrochemical signals that is sensitive to monosaccharide binding in aqueous solution. The complex displays orange luminescence at 618 nm, which is reduced by 70 and 40 % upon binding of fructose and glucose, respectively. The electro‐chemiluminescent signal of the complex also shows a direct response to monosaccharide binding. The IrIII complex shows the same response upon incorporation into hydrogel matrices as in solution, thus demonstrating the potential of its integration into a device, as a nontoxic, simple‐to‐use tool to observe sugar binding over physiologically relevant pH ranges and saccharide concentrations. Moreover, the complex's luminescence is responsive to monosaccharide presence in cancer cells.

In the development of sensors based on multimodal detection, luminescent probes are attractive for providing a sensitive signal read-out, based either on intensity, wavelength shift or luminescence lifetime. The implicit simplicity of the devices that can be created is dependent of the judicious design of the multimodal probe. We have used transition metal probes which offer combined versatility due to their electroactive and photoluminescent properties, as well as their sensitivity to local environment. We report the influence of surfactant upon the formation of luminescent surfaces with metal complexes based on ruthenium(II), iridium(III) and osmium(II) bearing surface active groups. The results reveal an enhancement of the luminescence lifetime when a mixed monolayer with surfactant is formed. Characteristically, the luminescence lifetime of the ruthenium tris-bipyridyl complex attached to the gold surface increases from 210 ns to 765 ns in the presence of a fluorinated surfactant. The luminescence signal of the modified gold surfaces is also responsive to bovine serum albumin and fetal bovine serum adsorption, demonstrating interaction of the protein with the metal complex in the presence of the surfactant. The biomolecular interaction with the functionalised surfaces is also evidenced by surface plasmon resonance response.[a] Dr.