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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
07:24
Hyperspectral Imaging as a Tool to Study Optical Anisotropy in Lanthanide-Based Molecular Single Crystals
Published on: April 14, 2020
Heterobimetallic Ln-Zn (Ln = Eu, Gd) complexes with interesting second order nonlinear optical properties
Alessia Colombo1, Claudia Dragonetti1, Francesco Fagnani1
1Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano and INSTM UdR Milano, Milan, Italy. claudia.dragonetti@unimi.it.
Dalton Transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Two novel lanthanide complexes exhibit significant second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, surpassing benchmark compounds. These findings highlight their potential for advanced electro-optic applications.
Area of Science:
- Coordination Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Nonlinear Optics (NLO)
Background:
- Coordination compounds offer tunable molecular hyperpolarizability for NLO applications.
- Lanthanide complexes are well-studied for luminescence and magnetism, but their NLO properties are underexplored.
- Cationic lanthanide systems have not been previously investigated for NLO properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and synthesize novel cationic lanthanide complexes.
- To investigate the second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of these new complexes.
- To evaluate their potential for electro-optic applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of two new lanthanide complexes: [Eu(hfa)2(tetrag)]+·[Zn(hfa)3]- and [Gd(hfa)2(tetrag)]+·[Zn(hfa)3]-.
- Structural and spectroscopic characterization of the cation-anion assemblies.
- Evaluation of second-order NLO response in solution using Electric-Field Induced Second Harmonic generation (EFISH) technique.
Main Results:
- Successful synthesis and characterization of well-defined europium and gadolinium cation-anion assemblies.
- Both synthesized complexes demonstrated significantly higher second-order NLO responses (μβEFISH values) compared to Disperse Red One.
- The results indicate efficient charge transfer and tunable donor/acceptor characteristics within the complexes.
Conclusions:
- The novel cationic lanthanide complexes exhibit promising second-order NLO properties.
- These compounds are of significant interest for future applications in areas like electro-optic modulators.
- This study opens new avenues for exploring lanthanide complexes in NLO materials research.
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