Two-Photon Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Chiral Eu Complexes

J Am Chem Soc. 2023 Nov 22;145(46):25170-25176. doi: 10.1021/jacs.3c05957. Epub 2023 Nov 8.

Abstract

We report the synthesis of chiral lanthanide complexes with extended π conjugation for efficient circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) via two-photon excitation (2PE). The pyridine bis-oxazoline (PyBox) core provides the chiral Ln3+ environment, while the extension of the conjugated backbone through the pyridine 4-position with a phenylacetylene unit increases the two-photon absorption cross section. This work presents an important step toward the development of chiral systems displaying enhanced nonlinear optical properties, with potential applications in imaging and sensing, as well as in photodynamic therapy due to the selective excitation of molecules within a specific focal volume.