White light emission of an Eu(III)-doped Gd(III) complex with 3-sulfobenzoate and 1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline.

The complexes [Ln(3-SBA)(IP)OH(H2O)]·H2O (Ln = Gd 1 and Eu 2, 3-SBA = 3-sulfobenzoate, and IP = 1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline) feature 1D chain structure. White-light emission was realized based on the doping concentration of the Eu(III) ion in the Gd(III) complex for the first time. This result opens up a new synthetic strategy for white light emitting materials through two component lanthanide-organic complexes.