NIR-luminescence from ternary lanthanide [Ho, Pr and Tm] complexes with 1-(2-naphthyl)-4,4,4-trifluoro-1,3-butanedionate

The ligand 1-(2-naphthyl)-4,4,4-trifluoro-1,3-butanedionate (Htfnd) has been employed to synthesize six novel ternary-lanthanide complexes in which the synergic ligands were 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (dione) and 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one (dafone), respectively. Two series of complexes Ln(tfnd)₃dione and Ln(tfnd)₃dafone (Ln=Ho, Pr, Tm) were obtained. These complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared spectra and diffused reflectance. After ligand-mediated excitation, Ln(tfnd)₃dione and Ln(tfnd)₃dafone all show the characteristic NIR luminescence of the corresponding Ln³⁺ ions (Ln=Ho, Pr, Tm). This can be attributed to the efficient energy transfer from ligands to central Ln³⁺ ions, via an antenna effect. The indirect energy transfer in the complexes has been investigated and the differences in the luminescence intensity between Ln(tfnd)₃dione and Ln(tfnd)₃dafone were discussed in detail. The excellent luminescent performances enable these NIR-luminescent complexes to have potential applications in optical amplification operating at 1300 or 1500 nm.