Results of the material purification, crystal growth, and optical characterization of Tm-doped KPb2Cl5 (KPC) and KPb2Br5 (KPB) for similar to 2 mu m photonic applications are presented. Undoped (PC and KPB were synthesized from ultra dry starting materials and purified through multi-pass translation in a zone-refinement system. 1 wt% of ultra-dry Tm-halides (TmCl3 or TmBr3) were added to the purified host materials and molten under bubbling of HCI or HBr gas, respectively. Tm: (PC and Tm: KPB crystals were subsequently grown using the Bridgman technique. The good optical quality of the resulting crystals was indicated by infrared transmissions as high as similar to 70-75%. Under optical pumping, both crystals exhibited broad infrared emission bands centered at similar to 1.82 mu m with nearly exponential decay times ranging from similar to 2-3 ms. Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters were calculated to determine the radiative lifetimes of the F-3(4)-> H-3(6) Tm3+ transition. The optical absorption and emission cross-sections of Tm: KPC and Tm: KPB were determined using the McCumber theory. The investigated crystals were also evaluated as potential solid-state materials for optical cooling applications. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.