Crystal Field-Engineered Cr³⁺-Doped Gd₃(Mg_xGa_5–2xGe_x)O₁₂ Phosphors for Near-Infrared LEDs and X-ray Imaging Applications

Abstract

Inorganic materials doped with chromium (Cr) ions generate remarkable and adjustable broadband near-infrared (NIR) light, offering promising applications in the fields of imaging and night vision technology. However, achieving high efficiency and thermal stability in these broadband NIR phosphors poses a significant challenge for their practical application. Here, we employ crystal field engineering to modulate the NIR character-T h e Gd 3 Mg x Ga 5−2x Ge x O 12 (GMGG):7.5% Cr 3+ (x = 0, 0.05, 0.15, 0.20, and 0.40) phosphors with NIR emission are developed through the cosubstitution of Mg 2+ and Ge 4+ for Ga 3+ sites. This cosubstitution strategy also effectively reduces the crystal field strength around Cr 3+ ions, which results in a significant enhancement of the photoluminescence (PL) full width at half-maximum (fwhm) from 97 to 165 nm, alongside a red shift in the PL peak and an enhancement of the PL intensity up to 2.3 times. Notably, the thermal stability of the PL behaviors is also improved. The developed phosphors demonstrate significant potential in biological tissue penetration and night vision, as well as an exceptional scintillation performance for NIR scintillator imaging. This research paves a new perspective on the development of high-performance NIR technology in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and X-ray imaging applications.