Eu3+ AS A LUMINESCENT PROBE FOR LOCAL SITE SYMMETRY IN Eu(III) COORDINATION COMPOUNDS

Abstract

The paper deals with the use of tripositive ion Eu3+ as a luminescent probe for the evaluation of the local site symmetry in coordination compounds with europium(III) content. The energy levels of the Eu3+ multiplets in the ligand matrix may be split by the crystal field into a maximum number of 2J+1 components, depending on the site symmetry of the Eu3+ ion. Analysis of photoluminescence spectra provides information on the local site symmetry of the compound. The topic is discussed with reference to literature data as well as own experimental results obtained in the Laboratory of Optoelectronics "A. Andries" of the Institute of Applied Physics. This work gives a deeper insight into the spectral characteristics of Eu3+ ions in ligand matrices and can be a guiding support for investigation of photoluminescence in Eu(III) complexes.