Luminescent Dendrimers Based on Metal Complexes

Luminescence, the emission of light by electronic excited states of molecules, is an important phenomenon from a basic viewpoint (e.g., for monitoring excited state behaviour) as well as for applications (lasers, displays, sensors, etc.). Recent investigations have shown that coupling luminescence with dendrimer chemistry can lead to systems capable of exhibiting quite unusual and interesting properties. In this chapter we briefly summarize some fundamental concepts concerning photophysical processes in dendrimers based on metal complexes. Illustration of these processes will offer us the opportunity to discuss some important topics like (a) multiple luminescence, (b) light harvesting, (c) conversion of incident UV light into visible or infrared emission, and (d) sensing metal ions with signal amplification. Several of the discussed examples are taken from work performed in our laboratories. We will only deal with bulk properties in fluid solution. Processes related to dendrimer fluorescence at the single molecule level are not discussed.