Bi Cluster Engineering for Tunable Broadband NIR Optical Response

Abstract

Near‐infrared (NIR) broadband active photonic materials play a crucial role in various domains such as optical communication, phototherapy, and medical imaging. However, the construction of NIR photonic materials with tunable optical response still remains a great challenge. This manuscript proposes a topological structure engineering strategy in Bi‐activated glass for the realization of the controllable NIR emission. By manipulating the topological structure of glass, the Bi cluster configuration can be precisely control, with the cluster size from 2.78 to 1.64 nm. Correspondingly, various optical properties including broadband emission, excited state absorption (ESA), and even unsaturable loss (UL) can be rationally switched. Based on the above findings, Bi cluster‐activated bulk glasses, optical fibers, and the derived NIR active devices with notably improved performance can be successfully fabricated. Their application potentials in optical communication and NIR imaging are also demonstrated. The study highlights the promise of Bi cluster‐activated materials in advancing NIR photonic materials and devices. Furthermore, the topological‐mediated cluster regulation strategy may also provide new insights into the fundamental science and cutting technology of other cluster‐activated materials.