Highly luminescent ultra-thin films with rare earth for plasmonic applications

Abstract

Amphiphilic complexes with luminescent rare earth metal ions suitable for Lanmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition have been synthesized. LB monolayers with closely packed Eu complexes deposited directly on silver demonstrate significant far-field emission in contrast to the theoretical predictions of full quenching. Angular radiation and polarization patterns of the electric and magnetic dipole emission of Eu3+ point to a high excitation efficiency of surface plasmon polaritons. Different luminescent behavior of closely packed emitters in comparison to diluted systems is tentatively attributed to the collective state of emitters in LB layers formed via near-field coupling with surface plasmons.