Lanthanide Ion Complexes with Viscosity- or Temperature-dependent Emission

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In this project, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics & Mechanisms B and the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Programs of the Chemistry Division of the National Science Foundation, Professor Ana de Bettencourt-Dias and her research group at the University of Nevada, Reno, will isolate lanthanide ion complexes capable of metal-centered light emission. They plan to demonstrate that this light emission can be modulated by viscosity and temperature and they will study the compound design features that best enable this modulation. With the ability to correlate the intensity of the emitted light with the temperature and the viscosity, the group will be able to measure the temperature and viscosity inside of the cells. These properties vary with the type of cell and are important properties to help in the diagnosis of disease and in the unraveling of cell metabolism. The research is also of interest in the management of industrial processes, such as monitoring completion of polymerization and hydrogelation processes. During the project, undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral scholars will be trained in the synthesis and spectroscopic techniques needed to successfully complete the proposed work. As part of the commitment to support the advancement and inclusivity of underrepresented minority faculty, Professor Ana de Bettencourt-Dias will continue mentoring junior colleagues and promoting their science through a variety of avenues, including, but not limited to, the Periodic TableTalks. Lanthanide ions display sharp emission profile. This emission, which arises from transitions within the 4f orbitals, is most efficiently sensitized through coordinated ligand chromophores. These chromophores can be designed to display an energy transfer to the emissive lanthanide ion, which is modulated by viscosity and temperature. In this project, Professor Ana de Bettencourt-Dias and her research group propose to isolate several new ligands, based on N-heterocycles and cyanovinyl molecular rotors, and to assess their ability to promote metal-ion centered emission as a function of the temperature and viscosity of the medium. In addition, they will study, by using heteroleptic complexes, which ligand functionalities enable the viscosity- and temperature-dependent emission through a two-photon excitation process.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.