Unlocking the multifunctional applications of a novel bismuth-activated high-brightness orange-emitting phosphor through lattice engineering

The exploration of the non-rare-earth activated high-performance luminescent materials and the development of effective design principles to enhance their multifunctionality remain key challenges in various advanced photonics research and technologies. In this study, we report a novel Sr₃Ga₂O₆: Bi³⁺ (SGO: Bi³⁺) luminescent material activated by bismuth ions, which possesses a rather rare and intense ultra-broadband orange (585 nm) emission in addition to the conventional narrowband blue (445 nm) emission. For this reason, the site occupation, valence state, excited state and optical transition properties of bismuth ion in Sr₃Ga₂O₆ crystal are analyzed in detail by combining experimental characterization and first-principles calculations. The results show that the numerous and jumbled Sr sites in Sr₃Ga₂O₆ provide a rich site environment for the incorporated bismuth ions and induce different luminescence behaviors. Furthermore, we achieved comprehensive control over the optical properties of the material, including emission peak position, emission intensity, and bandwidth, through lattice site engineering design, unlocking the multi-modal luminescence characteristics of the bismuth ion, thus demonstrating the strong competitiveness of the developed material in multifunctional applications such as solid-state lighting, information anti-counterfeiting, and fingerprint identification. Therefore, this study not only deepens the understanding of the structure-properties relationship of the bismuth ion activation system in the complex lattice environment, but also provides a reference or impetus for the subsequent research and application of bismuth-doped materials with more advanced properties.