Bourdolle, AdrienAllali, MustaphaMulatier, Jean-ChristopheLe Guennic, BorisZwier, Jurriaan M.Baldeck, Patrice L.Buenzli, Jean-Claude G.Andraud, ChantalLamarque, LaurentMaury, Olivier2012-01-172012-01-172012-01-17201110.1021/ic200227bhttps://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/76638Two europium complexes with bis(bipyridine) azamacrocyclic ligands featuring pendant arms with or without pi-conjugated donor groups are synthesized and fully characterized by theoretical calculations and NMR spectroscopy. Their photophysical properties, including two-photon absorption, are investigated in water and in various organic solvents. The nonfunctionalized ligand gives highly water-stable europium complexes featuring bright luminescence properties but poor two-photon absorption cross sections. On the other hand, the europium complex with an extended conjugated antenna ligand presents a two-photon absorption cross section of 45 GM at 720 nm but is poorly luminescent in water. A detailed solvent-dependent photophysical study indicates that this luminescence quenching is not due to the direct coordination of O-H vibrators to the metal center but to the increase of nonradiative processes in a protic solvent induced by an internal isomerization equilibrium.Luminescent Lanthanide ComplexesTime-Resolved FretCross-SectionsEnergy-Transfer2-Photon-Sensitized Luminescence2-Photon-Excited LuminescenceEfficient SensitizationOptical-PropertiesTb(Iii) ComplexesTerbium Complexestext::journal::journal article::research article