Self-assembled luminescent lanthanide complexes in solution as rising stars for sensing and bioimaging Ruiz Arias, Álvaro Fueyo-Gonzalez, Francisco Orte Gutiérrez, Ángel González Vera, Juan Antonio Lanthanide Antenna Self-assembling Luminescent lanthanide (Ln3+) complexes are highly attractive for diverse applications, particularly as luminescent probes, owing to their exceptional photophysical properties, including long-lived photoluminescence, narrow-band emissions, and large Stokes shifts. These characteristics enable advanced techniques like time-gated detection, significantly enhancing signal-to-noise ratios in biological samples. Traditional luminescent Ln3+ complexes are characterized by bulky organic cryptands and/or conjugated chromophoric antennae for prompting the metal excitation prior to emission. This strategy is usually synthetically demanding, including complexation reactions that last for several days. To overcome this limitation, self-assembly strategies in solution have recently emerged as a powerful approach. This review discusses recent advancements in self-assembled luminescent Ln3+ complexes across various solvents, with particular emphasis on their behavior and performance in aqueous environments. It highlights the growing importance of water-compatible self-assembled luminescent Ln3+ complexes for biological applications, underscoring their potential in cell imaging and biosensing. By addressing key design challenges and showcasing diverse functionalities, this review provides a comprehensive and accessible overview for researchers in chemistry, biochemistry, and biology interested in the rapidly evolving field of lanthanide luminescence. 2026-02-11T09:19:11Z 2026-02-11T09:19:11Z 2026-06-01 journal article Ruiz-Arias, A., Fueyo-González, F., Orte, A., & González-Vera, J. A. (2026). Self-assembled luminescent lanthanide complexes in solution as rising stars for sensing and bioimaging. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 556(217676), 217676. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccr.2026.217676 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/110860 10.1016/j.ccr.2026.217676 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional Elsevier