Recent progress on modulating luminescence thermal quenching properties of Bi³⁺-activated phosphors

The luminescence thermal quenching properties of phosphor materials have been a huge challenge for their wide application. Therefore, how to modulate the thermal quenching property of phosphor materials has become a research hotspot nowadays. The luminescence thermal quenching behavior of rare earth and transition metal ions has been widely researched in the past decades. In recent years, bismuth as a novel, nontoxic, and inexpensive activator ion has attracted much attention from researchers. However, Bi³⁺-activated phosphors always suffer from horrible thermal quenching effects. In this contribution, many Bi³⁺-activated phosphors with excellent antithermal quenching are summarized in detail, and four design strategies for modulating the thermal quenching properties of Bi³⁺-activated phosphors are proposed: (1) defect engineering; (2) structural modulation; (3) lattice structure rigidity; and (4) energy transfer. In addition, the challenges and opportunities for the wide application of Bi³⁺-activated phosphors are presented. This review provides a reference for the design and development of novel antithermal quenching Bi³⁺-activated phosphors.