Microporous materials containing lanthanide metals

Recent developments in the field of lanthanide guests in microporous zeolite-type hosts are reviewed. It is shown that some of these new materials display interesting photoluminescent properties, which may be fine-tuned by careful host molecular design and selection of an appropriate lanthanide ion, and have potential for application in devices, particularly as sensors. However, the range of host systems available and our understanding of how to engineer the desired luminescence properties are still very limited. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.