We herein demonstrate the intercalation of several organic benzenepolycarboxylic compounds, terephthalic acid (TC), 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) and 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic acid (BTCC), into the layered terbium hydroxide (LTbH) and the sensitized luminescence of these organic species for the layer Tb3+. All of the as-prepared products demonstrated characteristic XRD diffractions attributed to layered materials. Compared with the NO3-LTbH precursor, efficient energy transfer from intercalated organic anions to Tb3+ centers in LTbH layers took place, thus markedly enhancing the Tb3+ luminescence. The relationship between the triplet energy levels of the organic guests and the energy level of Tb3+ was analyzed to explain the sensitization effect and ehergy transfer from the gallery sensitizers to the layer Tb3+ ions. The fluorescence lifetimes of NO (3)-LTbH, TC-LTbH, BTC-LTbH and BTCC-LTbH were determined to be 0.131, 0.315, 0.579 and 0.642 ms, respectively, indicating significantly increased lifetimes of the LTbH composites intercalated with the organic species. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.