Bis(2-{6-(diethylcarbamoyl)-4-[(4-isothiocyanatophenyl)ethynyl]pyridin-2'-yl}-1-ethylbenzimidazol-5-yl)-methane (L G ) reacts with trivalent lanthanide ions in acetonitrile to yield triple-stranded dimetallic helicates [Ln 2 (L G ) 3 ] 6 . 1 H-NMR Data point to the helicates being the only species formed under stoichiometric conditions and having a time-averaged D 3 symmetry on the NMR time scale. The photophysical properties of L G and its helicates are discussed with respect to the closely related ligands L B , L E , and their complexes, two ligands devoid of the isothiocyanatophenylethynyl substituent. The quantum yield of the ligand fluorescence is three times smaller compared to L E , while that of the Eu III -centered luminescence (1.1%) is three times larger. On the other hand, the luminescence of Tb III is not sensitized by L G . This is explained in terms of energy differences between the singlet and triplet states on one hand, and between the 0-phonon transition of the triplet state and the excited metal ion states on the other. This work demonstrates that bulky substituents in the 4-position of the pyridine ring do not prevent the formation of triple-stranded helicates, opening the way for luminescent probes that can easily be coupled to biological materials.Introduction. ± Supramolecular functional architectures containing lanthanide ions receive a sustained interest, especially in the field of medicine, because the optical and magnetic properties arising from the shielded 4f electronic configurations are easily traceable, therefore, providing suitable diagnostic [1] [2], therapeutic [3] [4], or analytical tools [5] [6]. One challenge associated with the development of such molecular edifices lies in the accurate control of the Ln III inner coordination sphere in order to reach large thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness without altering the specific properties of the metal ion. In the particular case of photophysical properties, additional features have to be incorporated in the receptor in order to achieve efficient sensitization of the luminescent lanthanide ions [7]. In recent years, we have focused part of our research efforts on the design of segmental ligands featuring aromatic tridentate and/or bidentate coordination units and coded for the self-assembly of 4f-4f [8] or 4f-3d [9] [10] dimetallic helicates. We have shown that the coordination sphere of the Ln III ions can be controlled by semirigid aromatic tridentate ligands such as bis(benzimidazole)pyridines [11] [12]. The covalent connection of two such units leads, for example, to the formation of ditopic ligand L A (Scheme 1), forming stable dimetallic helicates [Ln 2 (L A ) 3 ] 6 in MeCN in which the ligand strands are wrapped around two 9-coordinate Ln III ions with tricapped trigonal prismatic coordination geometry [13] [14]. The self-assembly process results in the formation of protective