Rare Earth-Based Crystalline Materials: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2025) | Viewed by 551

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Ganjiang Innovation Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ganzhou 341000, China
Interests: luminescent materials; rare earths; bioimaging

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Ganjiang Innovation Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ganzhou 341000, China
Interests: luminescent materials;semiconductor materials; nanocrystals; optical properties; chemical synthesis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the field of luminescent materials has experienced significant growth, driven by continuous advancements in materials science and an increasing demand for cutting-edge technological applications. Modern technologies, such as optoelectronics, biomedical imaging, and energy-efficient lighting, have intensified interest in these materials, which possess the unique capability to emit light upon excitation. This property has enabled a wide range of innovative applications.

Rare earth-based crystal materials in particular have emerged as cornerstones. Their unique 4f electron configurations endow them with tunable optical properties, making them indispensable in advanced technologies. For example, in the lighting industry, they have facilitated the fabrication of next-generation LEDs with superior color rendition and energy efficiency, revolutionizing illumination systems. In the biomedical arena, these crystals have been harnessed as ultrasensitive fluorescent probes, permitting the real-time, non-invasive imaging of cellular activities and molecular targets, thereby revolutionizing disease diagnosis and treatment strategies.

This Special Issue is dedicated to spotlighting trailblazing investigations concerning rare earth-based crystal materials. Central themes encompass inventive synthesis methodologies and meticulous characterization protocols, with a particular emphasis on exploring novel crystal growth techniques and dopant engineering. Additionally, we strive to showcase the multifaceted applications of these crystal materials. In bioimaging, the focus is on developing probes with enhanced targeting and imaging depth for early disease detection. In optoelectronics, efforts are directed towards creating highly efficient light-emitting and detecting components for futuristic displays and high-speed communication networks.

We invite experts from various fields to contribute their insights, spanning from material innovation and property modulation to application prototyping. By fostering this collaborative endeavor, we aspire to offer a panoramic view of the current achievements and forthcoming trends in the realm of rare earth-based crystal materials, kindling innovation and cross-disciplinary synergy in this field.

Prof. Dr. Fuqiang Ren
Dr. Louwen Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • synthesis
  • rare earths
  • characterization
  • nanocrystals
  • luminescent properties
  • bioimaging
  • optoelectronics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 1799 KB  
Article
Wide-Temperature-Range Optical Thermometry Based on Yb3+,Er3+:CaYAlO4 Phosphor
by Shaozhen Lv, Shaobo Yao and Zhuohong Feng
Crystals 2025, 15(12), 1055; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121055 - 12 Dec 2025
Viewed by 104
Abstract
In order to meet the demand for new optical temperature-sensing materials with high sensitivity and a wide application temperature range, Yb3+/Er3+: CaYAlO4 phosphor with excellent physical and chemical stability and thermal conductivity was studied for the first time. [...] Read more.
In order to meet the demand for new optical temperature-sensing materials with high sensitivity and a wide application temperature range, Yb3+/Er3+: CaYAlO4 phosphor with excellent physical and chemical stability and thermal conductivity was studied for the first time. Yb3+/Er3+: CaYAlO4 phosphors have been synthesized by the high-temperature solid-state method. Under 980 nm excitation, three characteristic emission bands peaking at 528, 549 and 665 nm were observed which are attributed to the transitions 2H11/2, 4S3/2 and 4F9/2 to 4I15/2, respectively. The temperature-sensing behaviors of the phosphor were investigated using the luminescence intensity ratio technique based on both the TCL (2H11/2/4S3/2) and NTCL (4F9/2/4S3/2, 2H11/2/4F9/2) model over a wide temperature range of 163–700 K. The maximum relative sensitivities of TCLs (2H11/2/4S3/2), NTCLs (4F9/2/4S3/2) and NTCLs (2H11/2/4F9/2) were 3.69% K−1, 0.443% K−1 and 3.86% K−1 at 163 K, 275 K and 163 K, while the maximum absolute sensitivities were 4.04 × 10−3 K−1, 15.2 × 10−3 K−1 and 7.81 × 10−4 K−1 at 499 K, 499 K and 247 K, respectively. Results suggest that Yb3+/Er3+: CaYAlO4 phosphor is a promising temperature-measuring material with advanced optical sensing capabilities over a wide temperature range. Full article
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