Research Seminar of Prof.Jean Claude G. Bünzlifrom Hong Kong Baptist University

Lecture Time: 09:00 on 20th April, 2017

Lecture Room: C501 of Science and Innovation Building

Lecture Title:The Beauty of Lanthanide Light: from Basics to Applications

Jean-Claude G. Bünzli
Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology,Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
Department of Cemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong S.A.R, P.R. China
jean-claude.bunzli@epfl.ch

Abstract

During the past decades, lanthanides have reached a privileged status in high technology becoming indispensable additives to a wealth of functional materials [1]. In particular, the un-matched optical properties of lanthanide ions are crucial to the development of optical glasses, lasers, phosphors for screens and economical lighting, optical fibers for telecommunications, security inks and counterfeiting tags, bioanalyses and bioimaging, nanothermometers, a.s.o. Developing applications in solar energy conversion, optical refrigeration, and quantum information processing are equally promising [2].
After introducing lanthanide luminescence and describing selected applications, the lecture focuses on three aspects. The first one deals with the development of highly luminescent complexes and materials and explains the strategies adopted to enhance light emission and to avoid non-radiative de-activation [3]. The second aspect is concerned with using lanthanide luminescence as structural probe in various compounds ranging from supramolecular helicates to liquid crystals. Finally, conjugating lanthanide luminescent complexes to biological molecules such as avidin, biotin, monoclonal antibodies, or peptides results in key stains for time-resolved immunoassays as well as for cell and tissue optical imaging [4].
To conclude, we briefly outline innovative emerging technologies.

[1] J.-C.G. Bünzli, Lanthanides,Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Wiley Online Library, (2013), 2013, pp. 1-43.
[2] J.-C.G. Bünzli, Lanthanide Luminescence: From a Mystery to Rationalization, Understanding, and Applications, in: Bünzli, J.-C. G. and Pecharsky, V. K., Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths, Elsevier Science, B.V., Amsterdam, 2016, Vol. 50, Ch. 287, pp. 141-176.
[3] J.-C.G. Bünzli, On the Design of Highly Luminescent Lanthanide Complexes, Coord. Chem. Rev. 293-294 (2015) 19-47.
[4] J.-C.G. Bünzli, Lanthanide light for biology and medical diagnosis, J. Lumin. 170 (2016) 866-878.