Disorder-Induced Broadband Near-Infrared Persistent and Photostimulated Luminescence in Mg2SnO4:Cr3

High-Pressure Behavior of Ca2SnO4, Sr2SnO4, and Zn2SnO4

The pressure-induced structural evolution of Ca2SnO4, Sr2SnO4, and Zn2SnO4 has been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction up to 20 GPa using the ALBA synchrotron radiation source and density functional theory calculations. No phase transition was observed in Ca2SnO4 and Zn2SnO4 in the investigated pressure range. The observation in Zn2SnO4 solves contradictions existing in the literature. In contrast, a phase transition was observed in Sr2SnO4 at a pressure of 9.09 GPa. The transition was characterized as from the ambient-condition tetragonal polymorph (space group I4/mmm) to the low-temperature tetragonal polymorph (space group P42/ncm). The linear compressibility of crystallographic axes and room-temperature pressure-volume equation of state are reported for the three compounds studied. Calculated elastic constants and moduli are also reported as well as a systematic discussion of the high-pressure behavior and bulk modulus of M2SnO4 stannates.

Calcium Phosphate-Based Nanomaterials: Preparation, Multifunction, and Application for Bone Tissue Engineering

Calcium phosphate is the main inorganic component of bone. Calcium phosphate-based biomaterials have demonstrated great potential in bone tissue engineering due to their superior biocompatibility, pH-responsive degradability, excellent osteoinductivity, and similar components to bone. Calcium phosphate nanomaterials have gained more and more attention for their enhanced bioactivity and better integration with host tissues. Additionally, they can also be easily functionalized with metal ions, bioactive molecules/proteins, as well as therapeutic drugs; thus, calcium phosphate-based biomaterials have been widely used in many other fields, such as drug delivery, cancer therapy, and as nanoprobes in bioimaging. Thus, the preparation methods of calcium phosphate nanomaterials were systematically reviewed, and the multifunction strategies of calcium phosphate-based biomaterials have also been comprehensively summarized. Finally, the applications and perspectives of functionalized calcium phosphate biomaterials in bone tissue engineering, including bone defect repair, bone regeneration, and drug delivery, were illustrated and discussed by presenting typical examples.

Dye Sensitization Offers a Brighter Afterglow Nanoparticle Future for in vivo Recharged Luminescent Imaging

While concerns about improving recharged afterglow intensity in vivo still motivate further exploration, afterglow nanoparticles (AGNP) offer unique optical merit for autofluorescence-free biological imaging. Apart from efforts enhancing the afterglow emission properties of AGNP, improving afterglow excitation response to visible or near infrared light is important but has lacked success. Dye sensitization has been used to improve the optical response of photovoltaic nanomaterials and to enhance upconversion luminescence efficiency. This concept has recently been expanded and applied to AGNPs. As a new multifunctional nanoprobe, such dye-sensitized AGNP takes advantage of both high spatial resolution fluorescence imaging and sensitive afterglow imaging. This Concept introduces the background, the concept, mechanism, and related imaging application, as well as reviewing existing challenges and proposing future developmental directions for the dye-sensitized AGNPs.

Deep-red to near-infrared luminescence from Eu2+-trapped exciton states in YSiO2N

The valence state of Eu ions doped in inorganic compounds is easily influenced by the synthesizing conditions. In this study, X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that almost half of Eu ions incorporated in the YSiO₂N host were reduced into the divalent state through the sintering process at 1600 °C under a N₂ gas atmosphere without any annealing processes. The prepared Eu^2+/3+-doped YSiO₂N sample showed anomalous deep-red to near-infrared luminescence below 300 K under violet light illumination, whose luminescent properties are discussed through detailed spectroscopic analyses. In the photoluminescence spectra at 4 K, the broad luminescence band ranging from 550 to 1100 nm with a large Stokes shift of 5677 cm^-1 was observed, assigned to the recombination emission related to the Eu²⁺-trapped exciton state. The temperature dependence of luminescence lifetime suggests that the thermal quenching of Eu²⁺-trapped exciton luminescence takes place through complicated processes in addition to thermal ionization. The energy diagrams based on the spectroscopic results indicate that Eu²⁺-trapped exciton luminescence in the YSiO₂N:Eu^2+/3+ sample was observed because all the Eu²⁺: 5d excited levels are degenerated with the host conduction band, and the relatively stable Eu²⁺-trapped exciton state in the Y³⁺ sites is formed just below the conduction band bottom. A comprehensive discussion on the deep-red to near-infrared luminescence in the YSiO₂N host could give new insights into the mechanism of Eu²⁺-trapped exciton luminescence in Y³⁺ sites, which has potential in near-infrared emitting devices.

Enhanced thermal stability and afterglow performance in Sr2Ga2−xAlxSiO7:Ce3+ phosphors via band gap tailoring

Due to the change of band gap, the photoluminescence and persistent luminescence performances of Ce3+ in Sr2(Ga,Al)2SiO7 have been optimized by the regulation of Al3+/Ga3+.

Linear red/green ratiometric thermometry of Ho3+/Cr3+ co-doped red up-conversion tungstate materials

Existing optical thermometers are faced with the challenges of high sensitivity limited to a very narrow high temperature range, while also lacking low temperature sensing performance. A new linear up-conversion (UC) optical thermometer with high sensitivity over a wide temperature range was reported here. The introduction of Cr³⁺ optimized the red-green (R/G) ratio and improved the temperature sensing characteristics of Ho³⁺-doped tungstate materials. Notably, as a temperature-related parameter, the R/G emission intensity ratio of Ho³⁺/Cr³⁺ co-doped tungstate material fitted well linearly with temperature. The slope of the fitted line corresponded to the absolute sensitivity value; that is, the sensitivity was constantly 0.0217 K^-1 over the wide range of 163-663 K. This new UC temperature sensor with high sensitivity extended a new field of optical temperature measurement and demonstrated the possibility of applying this linear sensitivity effect in sensing applications. Most importantly, from an optical temperature sensing point of view, this study provided a novel and effective strategy for linear optical temperature measurement.

Efficient and Tunable Luminescence in Ga2-xInxO3:Cr3+ for Near-Infrared Imaging

Broadband near-infrared (NIR) emitting materials are in great demand as next-generation smart NIR light sources. In this work, a Cr³⁺-substituted phosphor capable of efficiently converting visible to NIR light is developed through the solid solution, Ga_2-xIn_xO₃:Cr³⁺ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5). The compounds were prepared using high-temperature solid-state synthesis, and the crystal and electronic structure, morphology, site preference, and photoluminescence properties are studied. The photoluminescence results demonstrate a high quantum yield (88%) and impressive absorption efficiency (50%) when x = 0.4. The NIR emission is tunable across a wide range (713-820 nm) depending on the value of x. Moreover, fabricating a prototype of a phosphor-converted NIR light-emitting diode (LED) device using 450 nm LED and the [(Ga_1.57Cr_0.03)In_0.4]O₃ phosphor showed an output power that reached 40.4 mW with a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 25% driven by a current of 60 mA, while the resulting device was able to identify damaged produce that was undetectable using visible light. These results demonstrate the outstanding potential of this phosphor for NIR LED imaging applications.