A review of lanthanide-based fluorescent nanofiber membranes by electrospinning and their applications

In recent years, rare earth complexes have become famous for their unique luminescence characteristics, such as clear emission bands, long lifetimes, and high luminous quantum efficiency. Since lanthanide ions have relatively small absorption areas in the ultraviolet region, they absorb light weakly. However, the excitation can be improved via coordination with organic ligands and subsequent energy transfer from the ligand triplet state to a coordinated metal ion. Electrospinning is a processing method that can readily combine rare earth complexes with matrix materials, to obtain fiber membranes with high fluorescence efficiency and stable mechanical properties. Here, we report the application of fluorescent nanofibers to color-tunable materials and oxygen sensing materials by discussing the electrospinning techniques used to produce electrospun nanofibers containing lanthanide complexes. We then focus on the mechanism of luminescence of fluorescent nanofibers, discussing polymer-based membranes and ceramic-based membranes based on the main constituent materials of the fiber membranes.