Expanding the Toolbox of Octahedral Molybdenum Clusters and Nanocomposites Made Thereof: Evidence of Two-Photon Absorption Induced NIR Emission and Singlet Oxygen Production.

Bright NIR phosphorescence from octahedral molybdenum clusters has been known since the 1980s. However, their behavior toward NIR excitation has never been investigated. Here we report their abilities to emit NIR light and produce singlet oxygen upon two-photon absorption. This behavior is observed in solution, in the solid state, and when clusters are embedded homogeneously in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) matrix. Such discoveries open new perspectives in several fields like optoelectronics, photodynamic therapy, or bioimaging.