Issue 16, 2024

Rare-earth-based chalcogenides and their derivatives: an encouraging IR nonlinear optical material candidate

Abstract

With the continuous development of laser technology and the increasing demand for lasers of different frequencies in the infrared (IR) spectrum, research on infrared nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals has garnered growing attention. Currently, the three main commercially available types of borate materials each have their drawbacks, which limit their applications in various areas. Rare-earth (RE)-based chalcogenide compounds, characterized by the unique f-electron configuration, strong positive charges, and high coordination numbers of RE cations, often exhibit distinctive optical responses. In the field of IR-NLO crystals, they have a research history spanning several decades, with increasing interest. However, there is currently no comprehensive review summarizing and analyzing these promising compounds. In this review, we categorize 85 representative examples out of more than 400 non-centrosymmetric (NCS) compounds into four classes based on the connection of different asymmetric building motifs: (1) RE-based chalcogenides containing tetrahedral motifs; (2) RE-based chalcogenides containing lone-pair-electron motifs; (3) RE-based chalcogenides containing [BS3] and [P2Q6] motifs; and (4) RE-based chalcohalides and oxychalcogenides. We provide detailed discussions on their synthesis methods, structures, optical properties, and structure–performance relationships. Finally, we present several favorable suggestions to further explore RE-based chalcogenide compounds. These suggestions aim to approach these compounds from a new perspective in the field of structural chemistry and potentially uncover hidden treasures within the extensive accumulation of previous research.

Graphical abstract: Rare-earth-based chalcogenides and their derivatives: an encouraging IR nonlinear optical material candidate

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
30 Jan 2024
Accepted
03 Mar 2024
First published
22 Mar 2024
This article is Open Access

All publication charges for this article have been paid for by the Royal Society of Chemistry
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Sci., 2024,15, 5869-5896

Rare-earth-based chalcogenides and their derivatives: an encouraging IR nonlinear optical material candidate

P. Feng, J. Zhang, M. Ran, X. Wu, H. Lin and Q. Zhu, Chem. Sci., 2024, 15, 5869 DOI: 10.1039/D4SC00697F

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements