Highly stable plastic optical fibre amplifiers containing [Eu(btfa)(3)(MeOH)(bpeta)]: A luminophore able to drive the synthesis of polyisocyanates

Abstract

The rare-earth metal organic chelate [Eu(btfa)(3)(MeOH)(bpeta)] (btfa, 4,4,4-trifluoro-1-phenyl-1,3-butanedionate; bpeta, 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane) has been used to dope a plastic optical fibre (POF) prepared by the bulk homopolymerization of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI) catalysed by Tin(II)-2 ethylhexanoate (SnOct), to obtain a plastic optical fibre amplifier (POFA). The Eu3+ chelate, primarily added as luminophore for the amplification of the optical signal, showed an interesting co-catalytic activity in the polymerization of HMDI, that preferentially proceeded towards the formation of the highly stable polyisocyanurate trimer form thanks to its selective driving action, as demonstrated by C-13 solid-state NMR. Pumping of the POFA with xenon lamps demonstrated the occurrence of stimulated emission inside the doped fibre. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.