A review of recent developments in rare earth-doped nanophosphors for emerging technological applications

Abstract

This article explores the synthesis of rare-earth-doped nanophosphors (RENPs), focusing on selecting optimal host materials like tungstates, vanadates, and aluminates to enhance luminescent properties. The incorporation of rare-earth elements, such as Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺, Dy³⁺, Sm³⁺, etc., significantly improves emission spectra and efficiency by utilizing their unique electronic configurations and interactions with the host lattice. Nanophosphors were synthesized through sol–gel, combustion, and microwave-assisted methods, resulting in materials with tunable photoluminescence, high luminous efficiency, and appropriate chromaticity for wide-bandgap lighting applications. The study further investigates upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs), demonstrating exceptional attributes like long luminescence lifetimes, high sensitivity, low energy loss, and tunable emission spectra. These characteristics make UCNPs ideal for advanced sensing applications. Additionally, RENPs exhibit great potential in thermoluminescence dosimetry, providing accurate radiation dose measurements with minimal fading and energy-dependent responses, thus advancing both medical and environmental dosimetry.