Affiliations 

  • 1 College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Carbon Materials, Wenzhou 325035, China. smhuang@wzu.edu.cn
  • 2 The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Chemistry, Austin, Texas 78712, USA. rajones@cm.utexas.edu
  • 3 European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, EMBL c/o DESY, Hamburg, 22607, Germany
  • 4 Department of Chemistry, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
  • 5 Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
  • 6 European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hamburg Unit, EMBL c/o DESY, Hamburg, 22607, Germany and Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK. kb518@cam.ac.uk
Faraday Discuss, 2016 Jul 18.
PMID: 27430046

Abstract

We have developed a new class of lanthanide nano-clusters that self-assemble using flexible Schiff base ligands. Cd-Ln and Ni-Ln clusters, [Ln8Cd24(L(1))12(OAc)39Cl7(OH)2] (Ln = Nd, Eu), [Eu8Cd24(L(1))12(OAc)44], [Ln8Cd24(L(2))12(OAc)44] (Ln = Nd, Yb, Sm) and [Nd2Ni4(L(3))2(acac)6(NO3)2(OH)2], were constructed using different types of flexible Schiff base ligands. These molecular nano-clusters exhibit anisotropic architectures that differ considerably depending upon the presence of Cd (nano-drum) or Ni (square-like nano-cluster). Structural characterization of the self-assembled particles has been undertaken using crystallography, transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering. Comparison of the metric dimensions of the nano-drums shows a consistency of size using these techniques, suggesting that these molecules may share similar structural features in both solid and solution states. Photophysical properties were studied by excitation of the ligand-centered absorption bands in the solid state and in solution, and using confocal microscopy of microspheres loaded with the compounds. The emissive properties of these compounds vary depending upon the combination of lanthanide and Cd or Ni present in these clusters. The results provide new insights into the construction of novel high-nuclearity nano-clusters and offer a promising foundation for the development of new functional nanomaterials.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.