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

In this communication, a novel Er³⁺ complex Er(PT)₃TPPO [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 ⁴I_13/2 → ⁴I_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)₃TPPO should be a promising candidate for tunable lasers and planar optical amplifiers.