An Efficient Visible and Near-Infrared (NIR) Emitting Sm(III) Metal-Organic Framework (Sm-MOF) Sensitized by Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT) Ligand

We report herein an unprecedented example of a luminescent Sm(III) metal-organic framework (Sm-MOF), in which both the visible and near-infrared (NIR) emissions of Sm(3+) ions are able to be sensitized by an excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) ligand. Due to the solvent-mediated interchange between enol and keto excited states of the ligand and subsequent energy transfer rate to Sm(3+) ions, the luminescent decay lifetime of the Sm-MOF can be tuned in different solvent-grinding systems.