Circularly Polarized Light from Chiral Lanthanide(III) Complexes in Single Crystals

A circularly polarized emission (CPE) microscope system was designed for measuring circularly polarized light (CPL) from small single crystals of lanthanide(III) complexes with different crystal structures. CPL under excitation with 370-nm laser light was successfully observed from the crystals, and the CPL spectra were significantly different from those observed in solution. Dependence of the CPL spectra on the lattice plane of the crystals was also demonstrated.