NIR-II Electroluminescence from Lanthanide-Doped Nanoparticles was Achieved through Triplet Excitons

Abstract

Lanthanide-doped nanoparticles (LnNPs) exhibit attractive luminescence in the second near-infrared range due to bright, narrow-linewidth, non-blinking and non-bleaching emission. Hindered by the insulating matrices of these nanoparticles, it has been challenging to realize electroluminescent devices based on LnNPs under low operating voltages. Recently, Yu et al. achieved a breakthrough by constructing LnNP@organic molecule nanohybrids and utilizing efficient triplet energy transfer to LnNPs, enabling narrowband NIR-II electroluminescence under low turn-on voltages of approximately 5 V (Z. Yu, Y. Deng, J. Ye, et al. Nature, 2025, 647, 625-631). These results open a new direction for optoelectronic devices based on lanthanides and offer promising opportunities for flexible electronics, near-infrared communication, and quantum light sources.