Controlling X-ray-activated persistent luminescence for emerging applications

Inorganic persistent luminescence (PersL) materials that emit self-sustained emissions after the cessation of excitation have experienced rapid development in recent years. In particular, the emergence of X-ray as the charging source for PersL has enabled extended control over PersL properties and prompted a breakthrough in advanced applications. Herein, we review X-ray-activated PersL (X-PersL) inorganic materials from the perspective of performance optimization and application expansion. We survey various strategies for controlling the wavelength, intensity, and duration of X-PersL, which paves the way for emerging applications in biomedical diagnosis and therapy, optical information storage, and 3D X-ray imaging techniques. We attempt to conclude the rationale behind these developments and challenges to be tackled, simultaneously highlighting future opportunities for X-PersL research.