Spectroscopic aspects for the Yb3+ coordination compound with a large energy gap between the ligand and Yb3+ excited states.

We present the experimental and theoretical results that made it possible to propose the energy transfer mechanism for a Yb complex with a large energy gap between the ligand and Yb excited states using a theoretical model and experimental data. Absorption and emission spectroscopy in the 300-4 K range is used for the study of the Yb3+ compound with N-phosphorylated sulfonamide (Na[YbL4]), which, despite the large energy gap, is characterized by high emission sensitization efficiency (ηsens = 40%) and relatively long Yb3+ emission lifetime (27 μs). The crystal structure of Na[YbL4], radiative lifetime (930 μs), refractive index (1.46), intrinsic (3.0%), and overall (1.3%) emission quantum yield were determined. To obtain the electronic properties of the Na[YbL4], a time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) was performed. The intramolecular energy transfer (IET) rates from the excited states S1 and T1 to the Yb3+ ion as well as between the ligand and the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) states were calculated. Once the intersystem crossing S1 → T1 is not so effective due to a large energy gap between S1 and T1 (≈10000 cm-1), it has been shown that the LMCT state acts as an additional channel to feed the T1 state. Then, the T1 can transfer energy to the Yb3+ 2F5/2 energy level (WT), where WT is dominated by the exchange mechanism. Based on IET and a rate equation model, the overall emission quantum yield QLLn was simulated with and without the LMCT, this also confirmed that the pathway S1 → LMCT → T1 → Yb3+ is more likely than the S1 → T1 → Yb3+ one.