Luminescent materials switches

Extended linear chain inorganic compounds have special chemical and physical properties [60,61], This has led to new developments in fields such as supramolecular chemistry, acid-base chemistry, luminescent materials, and various optoelectronic applications. Among recent examples are the developments of a vapochromic light emitting diode from linear chain Pt(II)/Pd(II) complexes [62], a luminescent switch consisting of an Au(I) dithiocarbamate complex that possesses a luminescent linear... 

Enclosure also changes the redox properties of a compound, its color, and other physical properties (1,2). On this basis nonlinear optical materials, luminescence markers, controlled light switches, and other high-tech devices might be designed and prepared (15,17,137). 

The cadmium chalcogenide semiconductors (qv) have found numerous appHcations ranging from rectifiers to photoconductive detectors in smoke alarms. Many Cd compounds, eg, sulfide, tungstate, selenide, teUuride, and oxide, are used as phosphors in luminescent screens and scintiUation counters. Glass colored with cadmium sulfoselenides is used as a color filter in spectroscopy and has recently attracted attention as a third-order, nonlinear optical switching material (see Nonlinear optical materials). DiaLkylcadmium compounds are polymerization catalysts for production of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), poly(vinyl acetate) (PVA), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Mixed with TiCl, they catalyze the polymerization of ethylene and propylene. 

While many metal centers can be reversibly cycled between two (or more) oxidation states, few organic moieties can match such reversibility especially in protic media. Nevertheless, the first supramolecular example of an electroswitch-able luminescent device involved the benzoquinone-hydroquinone couple. The luminescence of 55 " is switched off due to PET in the benzoquinone state of the redox couple. Electrochemical or chemical reduction of the benzoquinone under protic conditions to hydroquinone recovers the luminescence of the tris(2,2 -bipyridyl) Ru(II) unit. It is noted that the luminescence of tris(2,2 -bipyridyl) Ru(Il) itself is electroswitchable. Indeed tris(2,2 -bipyridyl) Ru(II) came to fame as a solar energy material from more humble beginnings as a luminescent redox indicator. However 55 achieves the same switching at a lower magnitude of reduction potential. Here lies the advantage of the supramolecular design. Like tris(2,2 -bipyridyl) Ru(II), many lumophores show electroswitchable luminescence. An... 

The modem silicon-based microelectronics led to the miniaturization of electronic devices. However, delays caused by metallic intercoimec-tions became a bottleneck for the improvement of their performances. One possible solution of this problem is to use optical intercoimections for the transfer of information, and, therefore, silicon compatible materials and devices that are able to generate, guide, amplify, switch, modulate, and detect light are needed. Rare earth silicates with luminescent rare earths and compatibility with silicon may be a good choice for these applications (Miritello et al., 2007). Miritello et al. presented the study on nanocrystalline erbium silicate thin films fabricated on silicon/silica substrates. The obtained films exhibit strong photoluminescence emission around 1540 nm with room temperature excitation by 488 ran Ar laser. 

Furthermore, metals present additional intrinsic properties, such as redox reversibility, magnetism and luminescence. It is, therefore, possible to take benefit from these peculiarities for the design of redox-controlled NLO switches as illustrated in this chapter or for the elaboration of materials combining two or more properties. This latter field of research is in its infancy but it is possible to anticipate many improvements in the future for the elaboration of multifunctional molecular material optimising simultaneously all the wonderful capacities of metals. 

Although there are effective mechanisms for the packing-to-lumi-nescence transduction, it is essential to realise specific or different packing states in order to tune and switch the solid-state luminescence. This subject is reviewed from different viewpoints the first two Sections (3.1 and 3.2) are based on the substrates and materials, while the last Section (3.3) is based on the method of packing state modification. 

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