A multifunctional Tb3+–salicylic acid hydrazide phosphor for anti-counterfeiting, forensic fingerprint visualization, and biological applications
Abstract
A novel terbium(III) complex, Tb(SAH) , derived from salicylic acid hydrazide ( SAH ), was successfully synthesized and fully characterized. Stoichiometric analysis confirmed a 1:2 metal-to-ligand ratio. X-ray diffraction and microscopic studies revealed a polycrystalline structure with micro- and nanodomain features. Photoluminescence investigations demonstrated intense monochromatic emissions: blue for SAH and green for Tb(SAH) , with relatively long excited-state lifetimes in dimethylformamide (DMF), solid state, and polymeric matrices (PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), and silica xerogel). An efficient ligand-to-metal energy transfer mechanism under ultraviolet (UV) excitation was confirmed, indicating a strong antenna effect responsible for enhanced luminescence. Both SAH and Tb(SAH) were successfully applied in latent fingerprint visualization, clearly resolving level I–III ridge details on diverse porous, non-porous, and multicolored substrates. Additionally, transparent luminescent security inks prepared from the compounds exhibited excellent storage stability and humidity resistance, highlighting their suitability for anti-counterfeiting applications. Biological evaluation revealed that Tb(SAH) exhibits significantly greater in vitro cytotoxicity against the hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2) cell line than the free ligand. Significant antioxidant activity was observed for SAH and Tb(SAH) (IC ₅₀ = 0.38 and 0.78 μM, respectively), surpassing ascorbic acid. The Tb(SAH) complex also exhibited improved antidiabetic activity (IC ₅₀ = 14 μg/mL) compared with SAH (IC ₅₀ = 44 μg/mL), with potency comparable to that of acarbose (IC ₅₀ = 35 μg/mL). Antimicrobial studies indicated marked enhancement upon Tb ³ ⁺ coordination, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus . Molecular docking against DNA gyrase B (PDB ID: 6TCK) supported strong binding interactions, corroborating the experimental antimicrobial findings.
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BibTeX
@article{nasser2026multifunctional,
title = {{A multifunctional Tb3+–salicylic acid hydrazide phosphor for anti-counterfeiting, forensic fingerprint visualization, and biological applications}},
author = {H. Nasser and Ebtesam M. Abdelrhman and M. Saif and R. Kamal and Magdy Shebl and R. Fouad},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-71747-0},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-71747-0},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A multifunctional Tb3+–salicylic acid hydrazide phosphor for anti-counterfeiting, forensic fingerprint visualization, and biological applications
AU - H. Nasser
AU - Ebtesam M. Abdelrhman
AU - M. Saif
AU - R. Kamal
AU - Magdy Shebl
AU - R. Fouad
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-71747-0
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-71747-0
AB - A novel terbium(III) complex, Tb(SAH) , derived from salicylic acid hydrazide ( SAH ), was successfully synthesized and fully characterized. Stoichiometric analysis confirmed a 1:2 metal-to-ligand ratio. X-ray diffraction and microscopic studies revealed a polycrystalline structure with micro- and nanodomain features. Photoluminescence investigations demonstrated intense monochromatic emissions: blue for SAH and green for Tb(SAH) , with relatively long excited-state lifetimes in dimethylformamide (DMF), solid state, and polymeric matrices (PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), and silica xerogel). An efficient ligand-to-metal energy transfer mechanism under ultraviolet (UV) excitation was confirmed, indicating a strong antenna effect responsible for enhanced luminescence. Both SAH and Tb(SAH) were successfully applied in latent fingerprint visualization, clearly resolving level I–III ridge details on diverse porous, non-porous, and multicolored substrates. Additionally, transparent luminescent security inks prepared from the compounds exhibited excellent storage stability and humidity resistance, highlighting their suitability for anti-counterfeiting applications. Biological evaluation revealed that Tb(SAH) exhibits significantly greater in vitro cytotoxicity against the hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG-2) cell line than the free ligand. Significant antioxidant activity was observed for SAH and Tb(SAH) (IC ₅₀ = 0.38 and 0.78 μM, respectively), surpassing ascorbic acid. The Tb(SAH) complex also exhibited improved antidiabetic activity (IC ₅₀ = 14 μg/mL) compared with SAH (IC ₅₀ = 44 μg/mL), with potency comparable to that of acarbose (IC ₅₀ = 35 μg/mL). Antimicrobial studies indicated marked enhancement upon Tb ³ ⁺ coordination, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus . Molecular docking against DNA gyrase B (PDB ID: 6TCK) supported strong binding interactions, corroborating the experimental antimicrobial findings.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -