Synthesis and co-luminescence properties of Tb³⁺-methacrylic acid-1,10-phenanthroline complexes doped with Eu³⁺

A series of rare earth complexes Tb_1-xEu_x(MAA) ₃phen (x=0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.09, 0.10, 0.30, and 0.50) were synthesized with MAA as the first ligand and phen as the second ligand. The complexes were characterized by means of FT-IR, thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), XRD, UV absorption spectra, and photoluminescence spectra (PL). The results show that the luminescence intensity of Eu ³⁺ increases as Tb³⁺ transfer the absorbed energy to Eu³⁺ in the complexes. The emission of Tb³⁺ at 545 nm is observed and increasing with x decreasing. When x=0.01, the luminescence intensity reaches the maximum value, and the emission intensity of Tb ³⁺ at 545 nm and Eu³⁺ at 614 nm are almost equal. It realizes the co-luminescence of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺. We can obtain complexes with different colors by adjusting the ratio of Eu³⁺ to Tb³⁺.