Emerging Ultraviolet Persistent Luminescent Materials

Abstract Ultraviolet (UV, 200–400 nm) persistent luminescence (PersL) is an emerging topic of luminescent materials due to their “self‐sustainable” high‐photon‐energy characteristics. Although the family of UV PersL materials is fast‐growing, especially in the past few years, an overview on the current status in terms of material development, mechanism investigation, promising applications, research challenges, future directions, and the correlations of these aspects is absent. Many potential applications of UV PersL have recently been demonstrated and proposed depending on where UV PersL falls in the UVA (315–400 nm), UVB (280–315 nm), or UVC (200–280 nm) range. Hence, here the state‐of‐the‐art UV PersL materials, the theoretical and experimental attempts and explanations of UV PersL mechanisms, and strategies utilized to improve UV PersL performance are summarized. Also their unprecedented application promises spanning “solar‐blind” tagging (“glow‐in‐the‐bright” tagging), persistent disinfection, persistent photocatalysis, and “device‐free” skin phototherapy that are beyond the capabilities of the “glow‐in‐the‐dark” visible and infrared PersL are discussed. Facing challenges in understanding their complicated mechanisms, meeting their high charging requirement, and easing the public concerns, a bright future for UV PersL materials from lab to market is envisaged.