Visible-Range Sensitization of Er3+-Based Infrared Emission from Perfluorinated 2‑Acylphenoxide Complexes

Five new fully fluorinated acylphenoxide ligands, which are aromatic analogues of β-diketonates, provide visible photosensitization of the Er3+4I13/2 → 4I15/2 emission at ∼1540 nm (of interest for telecommunications) via the “antenna effect”, as observed in Cs­[ErL4] compounds. Depending on the chemical functionalization, the excitation wavelength can be tuned in the 400–650 nm range. Decay times for the solids are in the range of 7–16 μs, proving that the complexes can be of interest for a number of optoelectronic and photonic applications.