Design and synthesis of up-converted persistent luminescence Zn3Ga2SnO8:Cr3+, Yb3+, Er3+ phosphor

The Zn3Ga2SnO8:1%Cr3+, 5%Yb3+, 0.5%Er3+ phosphor with remarkable up converted persistent luminescence in the near infrared spectral region has been rationally designed and successfully fabricated. This phosphor has been synthesized by incorporating up-converting ions Yb3+-Er3+ into a Zn3Ga2SnO8:Cr3+ near-infrared emitting persistent phosphor and followed by the sintering process. After the stoppage of excitation by a 980 nm laser, the phosphor emits long-lasting near-infrared persistent luminescence with emission peak centered at 696 nm. Furthermore, the dual-mode luminescence feature by combining upconvered persistent luminescence and persistent luminescence properties from a single Zn3Ga2SnO8:Cr3+, Yb3+, Er3+ phosphor is expected to have important implications for several fields, such as complexed visualization systems, biologic imaging, sensing.