Sensitized near infrared emission from lanthanide-exchanged zeolites

In this work, we present an alternative approach to sensitize the near infrared emission of Er3+ ions (used in telecom applications) by exploiting the geometrical confinement occurring in porous zeolites structures. The sensitization of the Ln ion is obtained by energy transfer between a suitable organic molecule acting as an antenna and the emitting ion arranged in closed proximity, thus, avoiding the limits imposed by the coordination chemistry. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.