Laser materials, rare-earth -diketonates

From the first synthesis of rare-earth /9-diketonates in 1897 by Urbain until now, hundreds of different complexes formed by reaction between Lnni ions and /3-diketone derivatives have been described in the literature. Interest for this type of complexes comes from then-potential application in numerous and diverse domains. These complexes can be used for example as extractants in solvent-solvent extraction processes or as active compounds for the development of chelate lasers or liquid lasers. But they can also find applications in NMR as shift reagents or as electroluminescent materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) (Binnemans, 2005b). 

Strong light absorption by the jS-diketonate ligands is an advantage for sensitizing the luminescence of lanthanide ions by the antenna effect, but this property limits the usefulness of the rare-earth jS-diketonate complexes as laser materials. In order to achieve uniform excitation of the solutions containing the rare-earth chelate at the concentration required for laser... 

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