Multimodal Luminescence in Ca2InTaO6:Pr3+ Phosphors: Applications in Dynamic Anticounterfeiting and Optical Thermometry

The advancement of phosphors with multiple capabilities has garnered significant interest, especially for applications in optical thermometry and dynamic anticounterfeiting technologies. In this work, we successfully synthesized a series of color-tunable Pr3+ single-doped Ca2InTaO6 (CITO:Pr3+) persistent luminescence (PersL) materials by using a high-temperature solid-state method. The crystal structure of the obtained CITO:Pr3+ phosphor was characterized by X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement. Concentration-, excitation wavelength-, and temperature-dependent optical properties were systematically studied, and the results revealed that these materials display versatile luminescence behaviors and possess excellent optical temperature sensing characteristics and remarkable anticounterfeiting capabilities. Furthermore, by incorporating defect energy levels through nonequivalent substitution of Pr3+ for Ca2+, the materials also exhibit red PersL emission. This multimodal luminescence capability underpins their potential for dynamic multiple anticounterfeiting applications. Additionally, the differential thermal quenching rates between the 3P0 → 3H4 and 1D2 → 3H4 transitions of Pr3+ were leveraged for optical temperature sensing. The CITO:0.015Pr3+ phosphor, when excited at 318 nm, achieved maximum absolute sensitivity (Sa) and relative sensitivity (Sr) values of 20.42% K–1 at 393 K and 2.37% K–1 at 345 K, respectively. These results highlight the promising potential of CITO:Pr3+ materials for both multimodal dynamic anticounterfeiting and precise optical temperature measurement.