Lanthanide Complexes of Encapsulating Ligands: Luminescent Device at the Molecular Level

Lanthanide complexes of encapsulating ligands are studied as luminescent devices at the molecular level. The photophysical properties of the complexes which, up till now, showed the most intense luminescence are reported. The luminescence intensity of these complexes is discussed considering the efficiency of incident light-emitted light conversion, defined as the product of the absorption efficiency and the luminescence quantum yield. It is illustrated how the metal luminescence intensity can be enhanced by adapting the ligands on basis of previously obtained experimental results. The possible application of these complexes in fluoroimmunoassays is examined.