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Phosphors emitting visible and near-infrared persistent luminescence have been explored extensively owing to their unusual properties and commercial interest in their applications such as glow-in-the-dark paints, optical information storage, and in vivo bioimaging. However, no persistent phosphor that features emissions in the ultraviolet C range (200–280 nm) has been known to exist so far. Here, we demonstrate a strategy for creating a new generation of persistent phosphor that exhibits strong ultraviolet C emission with an initial power density over 10 milliwatts per square meter and an afterglow of more than 2 h. Experimental characterizations coupled with first-principles calculations have revealed that structural defects associated with oxygen introduction-induced anion vacancies in fluoride elpasolite can function as electron traps, which capture and store a large number of electrons triggered by X-ray irradiation. Notably, we show that the ultraviolet C afterglow intensity of the yielded phosphor is sufficiently strong for sterilization. Our discovery of this ultraviolet C afterglow opens up new avenues for research on persistent phosphors, and it offers new perspectives on their applications in terms of sterilization, disinfection, drug release, cancer treatment, anti-counterfeiting, and beyond.

Abstract:Water resources development and exploitation are critical for a viable and sustainable modern human society. Unfortunately, however, there is a considerable water storage depletion and environmental degradation in especially (semi)-arid river basins due to the forces of population growth, urbanization, industrialization and intensive agricultural irrigation. Addressing water storage depletion is not only a question of research, but is very much a question of developing appropriate countermeasures to preserve valuable/fragile ecological systems. As one such effort, this study analyzes the hydrology and storage in Baiyangdian Lake as affected by water resources development and exploitation in the Baiyangdian Lake Catchment of Northern China. Three models, WetSpass (Water and Energy Transfer between Soil, Plants and the Atmosphere under quasi-Steady State), WATBUD (Water Budget) and MODFLOW (USGS three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater flow model) were used in combination to simulate the hydrogeologic conditions in the lake catchment for 1956-2008. The model-calibrated values are in good agreement with the measured values, with R 2 > 0Ð8 and RMSE < 10% of measured values. Runoff, the primary source of water for the lake storage, has steadily declined due mainly to multiple dam construction and reservoir impoundments in the headwater valleys and rivers in the catchment. In addition to dwindling runoff, groundwater levels have declined considerably due to over-abstraction, mainly for agricultural irrigation. Additionally, evaporation or evapotranspiration is increasing in the lake catchment due to rising temperatures. The worsening hydrological conditions, amid the harsh semi-arid climate, have resulted in considerable depletion of the storage and hydrology of Baiyangdian Lake. Sustainable countermeasures like agricultural water-saving and infusion of external water (e.g., via by the South-North Water Transfer Project) could be a viable option for preserving not only the hydrology of the lake catchment, but also storage in Baiyangdian Lake.

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The trivalent lanthanides have been broadly utilized as emitting centers in persistent luminescence (PersL) materials due to their wide emitting spectral range, which thus attract considerable attention over decades. However, the origin of the trivalent lanthanides’ PersL is still an open question, hindering the development of excellent PersL phosphors and their broad applications. Here, the PersL of 12 kinds of the trivalent lanthanides with the exception of La3+, Lu3+, and Pm3+ is reported, and a mechanism of the PersL of the trivalent lanthanides in wide bandgap hosts is proposed. According to the mechanism, the excitons in wide bandgap materials transfer their recombination energy to the trivalent lanthanides that bind the excitons, followed by the generation of PersL. During the PersL process, the trivalent lanthanides as isoelectronic traps bind excitons, and the binding ability is not only related to the inherent arrangement of the 4f electrons of the trivalent lanthanides, but also to the extrinsic ligand field including anion coordination and cation substitution. Our work is believed to be a guidance for designing high-performance PersL phosphors.