Near-infrared luminescent properties and natural lifetime calculation of a novel Er3+ complex

in this communication, a novel Er3+ complex Er(PT)(3)TPPO [PT = 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-tert-butylbenzoyl-5-pyrazolone, TPPO = triphenyl phosphine oxide] is successfully synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Its optical properties and the energy transfer process from the ligand PT to the Er3+ ion are investigated, the typical near-infrared (NIR) luminescence (centered at around 1530 nm) is attributed to the I-4(13/2) -> I-4(15/2) transition of Er3+ ion which results from the efficient energy transfer from PT to Er3+ ion (an antenna effect). The wider full width at half maximum (78 nm) peaked at 1530 nm in the emission spectrum and the Judd-Ofelt theory calculation on the radiative properties suggest that Er(PT)(3)TPPO should be a promising candidate for tunable lasers and planar optical amplifiers.