Oleic acid (OA)-modified LaF3 : Er, Yb nanocrystals and their polymer hybrid materials for potential optical-amplification applications

Oleic acid (OA)-modified LaF3 : Er, Yb nanocrystals (NCs) have been prepared and investigated. The OA-capped nanocrystals have a nearly spherical shape with a mean diameter of 7 nm and show excellent dispersibility in common organic solvents and a PMMA matrix. A 0.25 g ml(-1) transparent colloidal solution in toluene can be obtained. The resulting nanocrystal-polymer hybrid materials exhibit strong emission around the 1550 nm telecommunication window when excited at 980 nm and are promising materials for polymer-based optical waveguide amplifiers.