The energy transfer pathways in lanthanide antenna probes cannot be comprehensively rationalized by the currently available models, and their elucidation remains to be a challenging task. On the basis of quantum-chemical ab initio calculations of representative europium antenna complexes, an innovative energy resonance model is proposed, which is controlled by an overall nonet-quintet intersystem crossing on the basis of spin-orbit coupling among the sublevels of the involved states.
Keywords: ab initio calculations; antenna probes; energy transfer; luminescence; resonant crossing.
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