Combining luminescence, coordination and electron transfer for signalling purposes

The evolution of research in luminescent signalling at Queen's University of Belfast is critically reviewed in the context of related work from the literature. Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) is found to be a robust design principle for such work. The possibilities raised by these signalling systems for sensing and switching operations are pointed out. Fluorescent PET signalling systems for s-block metal ions and relatives are classified according to the type of receptor employed. PET signalling systems, which exploit lanthanide lumophores are also woven into the discussion. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.