A luminescent mixed-lanthanide metal-organic framework thermometer

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are increasingly explored for sensing applications.
• Luminescent thermometers require stable materials with distinct temperature-dependent emission properties.
• Existing luminescent thermometers may lack robustness, reliability, or sensitivity across broad temperature ranges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust and highly sensitive self-referencing luminescent thermometer.
• To investigate the luminescent properties of mixed lanthanide MOFs for thermometry.
• To compare the performance of a mixed lanthanide MOF thermometer against a single lanthanide MOF.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a mixed lanthanide metal-organic framework: Eu(0.0069)Tb(0.9931)-DMBDC.
• Characterization of the MOF's structural and luminescent properties.
• Evaluation of the luminescent thermometer's performance across a temperature range of 10 to 300 K.

Main Results:

• The Eu(0.0069)Tb(0.9931)-DMBDC MOF exhibits dual emissions from Tb(3+) at 545 nm and Eu(3+) at 613 nm.
• The mixed lanthanide MOF demonstrates superior robustness, reliability, and instantaneous response compared to the parent Tb-DMBDC MOF.
• The developed luminescent thermometer shows significantly higher sensitivity over a wide temperature range (10–300 K).

Conclusions:

• Mixed lanthanide MOFs are promising materials for advanced luminescent thermometry.
• The self-referencing approach enhances the reliability and accuracy of temperature measurements.
• This study presents a highly effective luminescent thermometer with broad applicability.