Luminescence of Terbium Ions in Aqueous Solutions of Sodium Styrene Sulfonate Copolymers with 4-Methacrylamidosalicylic Acid

Water-soluble copolymers of sodium styrene sulfonate and 4-methacrylamidosalicylic acid of 93.7 mol % composition have been synthesized, and their interaction with terbium and gadolinium ions has been investigated to fabricate luminescent probes promising for their visualization in biomedical research. It has been shown that, in aqueous solutions in the copolymer concentration range 0.15–1.7 mg mL(–1) and at the ratio [Tb(3+)]/[COO(–)] = 1, water-soluble luminescent metal polymer complexes with a luminescence lifetime of 823 µs are formed. When Tb(3+) ions are partially replaced in the complex by Gd(3+) ions, bimetallic complexes with intense luminescence are formed.