Efficient Ce 3+ → Cr 3+ energy transfer overcomes the intrinsically weak absorption of Cr 3+ and boosts NIR emission in the CaLu 2 Mg 2 Si 3 O 12 host.

Achieving efficient and broadband near-infrared (NIR) emitting phosphors is a central challenge for advancing NIR phosphor-converted (pc) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as next-generation smart light sources for spectroscopy. Co-doping represents a well-established strategy to enhance NIR phosphor performance through tailored energy transfer. Herein, we explore a NIR phosphor achieved by co-doping Ce3+ into CaLu2Mg2Si3O12:Cr3+ (CLMSG:Cr3+) and provide a systematic investigation of its photoluminescence properties and energy transfer (ET) mechanism. Under 450 nm excitation, CLMSG:Ce3+,Cr3+ exhibits a broad NIR emission band spanning 650 to 900 nm. Owing to the efficient ET from Ce3+ to Cr3+, the Cr3+ emission intensity is enhanced by approximately 130%. The fabricated NIR pc-LED devices emit bright NIR radiation (33.8 mW@200 mA), demonstrating potential for application in night vision and biological imaging technologies.

Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in proteins is exceptionally rare due to efficient quenching of triplet excitons in aqueous and biological environments. Here, we report a general supramolecular strategy to engineer phosphorescent proteins by embedding organic phosphors within protein scaffolds via host–guest interactions, where the confined microenvironment suppresses nonradiative decay and stabilizes triplet states, enabling bright and long-lived phosphorescence in both the solid state and aqueous media. The stabilized triplet excitons further endow these phosphorescent proteins with photocatalytic activity, allowing them to serve as efficient photosensitizers for photoinduced electron transfer-mediated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization in water, exhibiting excellent temporal control, predictable molecular weights, and narrow dispersities, with mechanistic studies supporting an electron-transfer pathway. Moreover, these systems enable polymerization-induced self-assembly to generate vesicular structures that encapsulate the photoactive proteins while retaining persistent afterglow emission, thereby integrating cellular-like compartmentalization with intrinsic optical traceability. This work establishes a versatile supramolecular route to RTP proteins and expands protein–phosphor assemblies toward artificial phosphorescent cells and light-driven biochemical systems.

PbTe stands as a leading n-type thermoelectric material for midtemperature applications, yet its performance is limited by a single conduction valley and high lattice thermal conductivity. To address these constraints, we propose a combined strategy integrating resonant level engineering with dislocation engineering. Precise Br codoping positions the Fermi level to maximize the resonant level effect from In, while Ge alloying introduces a substantial strain field for enhanced phonon scattering. The optimized composition, Pb0.96In0.01Ge0.03Te0.988Br0.012, achieves a peak zT of ∼1.4 at 773 K. A fabricated module utilizing this material demonstrates a conversion efficiency of 10.5% under a 550 K temperature difference, ranking among the highest for PbTe-based modules. This work successfully bridges high-performance material design with practical device efficiency, offering a viable path for advancing thermoelectric technology.

ABSTRACT Yellow‐emitting Y 3 Al 5 O 12 : Ce 3 + (YAG: Ce 3 + ) phosphor ceramics serve as the primary color conversion materials in laser‐diode (LD)‐driven lighting systems. To mitigate heat accumulation in phosphor ceramics under high‐power laser irradiation, high‐thermal‐conductivity Al 2 O 3 is used to fabricate YAG: Ce 3 + + x Al 2 O 3 ( x is the mass ratio of Al 2 ​O 3 ​ to YAG: Ce 3 + ) composite ceramics. The thermal conductivity of composite ceramics increases from 9.02 to 20.45 W/(m·K) as x increases from 20% to 160%, and the saturation power increases from 7.5 to 11 W. The maximum luminous flux (LF max ) increases from 876 lm ( x = 20%) to 1554 lm ( x = 120%). A maximum luminous efficiency of 163 lm/W is reached at x = 120%. Additionally, large‐sized composite ceramics with a diameter of nearly 100 mm have been fabricated. The chromaticity coordinates ( x , y ) fall within the range of (0.4770–0.4800, 0.5122–0.5148), demonstrating uniform luminescence.

Triggering near-infrared (NIR) room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) poses a major challenge, because the narrow optical gap promotes nonradiative decay via thermal vibrations. Here, we report a series of high-performance RTP materials based on graphene nanoribbons, namely nHBT (n = 1-4). Unlike the modulation of fluorescence by extending π-conjugation, enhancing molecular conjugation more effectively induces red-shifted phosphorescence, enabling NIR emission. By doping nHBT in polyvinylpyrrolidone, NIR RTP with a maximum emission wavelength of 898 nm is achieved, exhibiting a quantum yield of 2.9% and a lifetime of 1.9 ms. Moreover, the rigid fused-ring framework suppresses molecular motions and nonradiative decay, resulting in a persistent afterglow even at 377 K. Well-dispersed NIR RTP nanoparticles were further obtained using polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene glycol) as the host and surfactant. In vivo studies demonstrate excellent capability to suppress background fluorescence, achieving a signal-to-background ratio as high as 47.3 ± 4.2. These results highlight rigid graphene nanoribbons as a versatile platform for high-performance NIR RTP and biophotonic applications.

Seven spirooxazine derivatives (M1–M7) with potential pharmacological activity were synthesized through a metal-free multicomponent spirocyclization of alkyne, isatin, and quinoline. The obtained spirooxazines have typical aggregation-caused quenching characteristic. M3 only showed a real-time and high-selective fluorescent enhancement response to human serum albumin (HSA), while there was almost no response to bovine serum albumin and other proteins. Experiments and simulations have shown that M3 enters the hydrophobic cavity of HSA and forms various noncovalent interactions with amino acid residues, resulting to restricts the intramolecular motion and enhances fluorescence emission of M3. In addition, M3 has the same emission intensity in pure solution, simulated serum, and real human serum at the same HSA concentration, indicating its excellent anti-interference ability and advantages in accuracy and convenience. These results show that spirooxazine provides an effective scaffold for selective HSA recognition and offers a useful strategy for the discrimination of highly homologous proteins.

The burn-in loss in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) during the initial operational stage induces substantial heterogeneous power output, as non-uniform degradation among sub-cells rapidly amplifies series-parallel mismatch to compromise both efficiency and long-term stability at module level. Most monomeric self-assembled monolayers (M-SAMs) suffer severe burn-in loss under harsh photothermal stress, and the early-stage performance decay dynamics and relevant degradation mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we find that the burn-in loss under light-heat conditions mainly originates from coordination relaxation/dissociation at the buried SAM/perovskite interface and the resultant rapid ion migration within the initial tens of hours. Further, we developed polymeric SAMs (P-SAMs) featuring a multidentate phosphonic acid polymer network that enhances interfacial chemical coupling and mechanical robustness. Notably, it boosts interfacial fracture strength by nearly eightfold to 9.11 MPa and improves large-area film uniformity. Consequently, P-SAMs exhibit a certified efficiency of 26.61% for small-area PSCs (0.06734 cm2) and 22.83% for large-area modules (62.37 cm2). Under continuous AM1.5G (one-sun) maximum power point tracking at 85 degrees C, the P-SAM device reduces the initial efficiency loss from 35.6% to 4.3%, eliminating burn-in behavior to enhance long-term stability with a T90 lifetime of 1695 h.

Yellow-emitting Y3Al5O12: Ce-3(+) (YAG: Ce-3(+)) phosphor ceramics serve as the primary color conversion materials in laser-diode (LD)-driven lighting systems. To mitigate heat accumulation in phosphor ceramics under high-power laser irradiation, high-thermal-conductivity Al2O3 is used to fabricate YAG: Ce-3(+)+xAl(2)O(3) (x is the mass ratio of Al2O3 to YAG: Ce-3(+)) composite ceramics. The thermal conductivity of composite ceramics increases from 9.02 to 20.45 W/(m & centerdot;K) as x increases from 20% to 160%, and the saturation power increases from 7.5 to 11 W. The maximum luminous flux (LFmax) increases from 876 lm (x = 20%) to 1554 lm (x = 120%). A maximum luminous efficiency of 163 lm/W is reached at x = 120%. Additionally, large-sized composite ceramics with a diameter of nearly 100 mm have been fabricated. The chromaticity coordinates (x, y) fall within the range of (0.4770-0.4800, 0.5122-0.5148), demonstrating uniform luminescence.

Bi2Te3-based alloys remain the only commercially available thermoelectrics to date. However, the extensive intrinsic defects and the "donor-like" effect intensified by powder metallurgy significantly deteriorate the transport properties of (Bi,Sb)(2)Te-3. Here, Cu is consistently used as the most effective dopant for performance enhancement, while substituting Te with the more electronegative S strengthens the electrostatic attraction, thereby markedly increasing the energy barrier for Cu ion migration. The optimized carrier transport, combined with microstructural evolution characterized by high-density twins and dislocations, results in a 10% increase in room-temperature weighted mobility and a concurrent reduction in lattice thermal conductivity by 37%. Consequently, the Bi0.492Cu0.008Sb1.5Te2.95S0.05 sample achieves a peak ZT of 1.51 at 350 K, with ion confinement ensuring negligible performance degradation after annealing at 550 K for 20 days. The compressive strength and bending strength are also improved to 232 and 60 MPa, respectively. Furthermore, the fabricated full-scale power generator demonstrates a maximum conversion efficiency of approximate to 7.0% under a Delta T of 200 K, certified by third-party validation, and exhibits excellent operational stability, underscoring its immense potential for widespread deployment.

Power generators utilizing thermoelectric (TE) materials offer a promising solution for recovering substantial low-grade heat, driving the pursuit of high-performance Bi2Te3 alloys. Here, notable enhancements in both TE and mechanical performance are achieved by doping Cd and S into (Bi,Sb)(2)Te-3 at Sb and Te sites. The evolution of interfacial defects, including high-density twins and dislocations, reduces lattice thermal conductivity by 26 % at 300 K. Concurrently, improvements in the density-of-states effective mass and band gap optimize carrier transport across the entire temperature interval. The Bi0.5Sb1.491Cd0.009Te2.95S0.05 sample reaches an exceptional peak zT of similar to 1.50 at 350 K and an average zT of 1.28 between 300 and 500 K. Compressive and bending strengths also improve to remarkable levels of 228 MPa and 71 MPa, respectively. More excitingly, the optimal sample scales up to & Oslash;50 mm-300 g with almost no performance loss. Integrating finite element topology optimization, the fabricated 17-by-17 TE generators demonstrate a high conversion efficiency of 6.8 % under a 200 K temperature gradient, with proven stability under rigorous testing. This work reveals a straightforward approach for developing high-performance and commercially scalable (Bi,Sb)(2)Te-3 alloys, highlighting great potential for widespread deployment.

Open-shell organic radical emitters hold promise for improving exciton utilization efficiency; however, triggering stable organic radical emission is rarely documented due to its high chemical reactivity. Herein, we present a universal design strategy for organic radical emitters by using an excited triplet state as an intermediate. The system features a long-lived roomtemperature phosphorescence (RTP) guest embedded within a host matrix. Systematic investigations reveal a dynamic conversion from orange RTP to red radical complex emission under continuous photoexcitation. This phenomenon arises from long-lived triplet excitons, which facilitate photoinduced charge transfer (PICT) from the host to the guest, thereby triggering efficient radical emission with long-term chemical stability. We further demonstrate the excellent reversibility between guest RTP and host radical emission through alternating heat/recrystallization and photoexcitation processes. This triplet-mediated PICT strategy provides a promising pathway for the development of radical emitters with high efficiency towards advanced electroluminescent devices.

Near-infrared room-temperature phosphorescent (NIR-RTP) materials feature the advantages of large Stokes shift, long emission lifetime, and high penetration ability, and have been broadly applied in bio-medical imaging, fiber optic telecommunication, and night vision-readable display. Developing organic NIR-RTP materials heavily relies on the long-conjugated chemical structures. The large conjugation could result in aggregation caused quenching, complex synthesis, poor processability, and high biological toxicity. Herein, by solution blending poly(iminofuran-spiro-pyrrolone) (PISP) with polystyrene (PS), we construct a nonconventional NIR-RTP polymer alloy without significantly extensive conjugation. The PISP was synthesized via a catalyst-free multicomponent polymerization in air with high molecular weights (up to 41000 g/mol) and decent yields (up to 84%). Although lacking classical luminescent segments and largely extended conjugation, PISPs exhibit the clusterization-triggered cryogenic phosphorescence. More importantly, upon solution blending PISP with PS, the resultant polymer alloy shows a NIR-RTP emission up to 715 nm with a Stokes shift of 375 nm. This work will be of interest for developing luminescent materials for the optoelectronic devices, in vivo imaging, and flexible electronics.

Interface characteristics significantly influence the output performance of thermoelectric power generators, making it crucial to develop cost-effective and straightforward processes for fabricating modules with high bonding strength and low interface contact resistivity. Here, Bi2Te3-based materials are treated with a micro-etching method using a mixed acid solution, followed by nickel electroplating and welding with Cu electrodes to assemble the thermoelectric power generator. The micro-etching process induces micropores that create an anchoring effect with the nickel layer, leading to an enhanced tensile strength of similar to 9.2 MPa and a reduced interface contact resistivity of similar to 4 mu Omega cm2. As a result, the fabricated Bi2Te3 thermoelectric power generator achieves a conversion efficiency of 6.6% and an output power of 0.79 W at a Delta T of 200 K. Furthermore, the module exhibits minimal efficiency and output power loss after aging at 493 K for 700 hours. This work provides a simple yet effective strategy to optimize the performance of Bi2Te3-based thermoelectric power generators.

The research of purely organic materials with color-tunable afterglow is meaningful but challenging. This study developed an efficient color-tunable afterglow material through a co-doping and triplet-to-singlet Förster resonance energy transfer strategy, demonstrating potential applications in anti-counterfeiting and data encryption.

H3N2 influenza virus poses a persistent serious threat to human health every year. Currently available detection methods often involve multi-step complex procedures. Such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) requires centrifugation, incubation with multiple antibodies, and addition of enzyme-labeled reagents. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) necessitates RNA extraction, reverse transcription, and thermal cycling for amplification. These time-consuming and labor-intensive protocols hinder timely response. In this work, fluorescein (FLC), 5-carboxyfluorescein (5-FAM) and fluorescein-5-thiosemicarbazide (5-FTSC) exhibited almost no fluorescence emission in pure DMSO and strong fluorescence emission in DMSO/H2O with high water fraction. Based on this property, we presented a separation-free, rapid, and quantitative detection method using three compounds as "turn-on" fluorescent probes to detect H3 and N2 spike proteins in mixed solutions. Among them, the limit of detection of FLC probe to N2 was as low as 0.442 nmol/L. Simulations based on molecular docking indicated that the fluorescent probe was able to enter the hydrophobic cavity of the protein restricted by the surrounding amino acid residues, and that the intramolecular motion was reduced to achieve a fluorescence enhanced response. Finally, comparative experiments using real H3N2 virus samples showed that the fluorescence probe method not only achieved faster and more cost-effective detection than ELISA, but also produced more consistent results, indicating the higher reliability of detection results. The separation-free detection method will provide a valuable tool for early public health monitoring.

Bi2Te3 is currently one of the most widely used commercial thermoelectric materials, but the performance of ntype variants significantly lags behind that of p-type counterparts, primarily due to its strong dependence on texture degree, thereby restricting broader practical application. This study reports the fabrication of highly textured polycrystalline n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 using a temperature gradient method, incorporating a combination of multiple microstructural features. Notably, the synergistic regulation of AgI and Cd dopants, coupled with the formation of highly oriented grains, substantially enhances carrier transport, leading to an improved power factor across the entire temperature range. Furthermore, the induced interlayer defects and dense dislocations effectively suppress phonon transport while simultaneously strengthening mechanical properties. The optimized large-sized Cd0.006Bi1.994Te2.7Se0.3 + 0.25 wt% AgI (& Oslash;20 mm-500 g) achieves a peak ZT of 1.25 at 350 K, along with a compressive strength of 86 MPa. On this basis, the assembled Bi2Te3 thermoelectric module realizes a conversion efficiency of 6.4 % under a 200 K temperature difference. This study provides a simple yet effective strategy to enhance the overall performance of n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3, paving the way for its industrial applications.

Thermoelectric (TE) generators based on bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) are recognized as a credible solution for low-grade heat harvesting. In this study, an combinative doping strategy of both the donor (Ag) and the acceptor (Ga) in Ag9GaTe6 as dopants is developed to modulate the microstructure and improve the ZT value of p-type Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3. Specifically, the distribution of Ag and Ga in the matrix synergistically introduces multiple phonon scattering centers including lath twins, triple junction boundaries, and Sb-rich nanoprecipitates, leading to an obviously suppressed lattice thermal conductivity of 0.50 W m-1 K-1 at 300 K. At the same time, such unique microstructures of lath twins synergistically enhance the room-temperature power factor to 48.8 mu W cm-1 K-2 and improve the Vickers hardness to 0.90 GPa. Consequently, a high ZT of 1.40 at 350 K and ZTave of 1.24 (300-500 K) are achieved in the Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3 + 0.03 wt% Ag9GaTe6 sample. Based on that, a competitive conversion efficiency of 6.5% at Delta T = 200 K is obtained in the constructed 17-couple TE module, which exhibits no significant change in the output property after 30 thermal cycle tests benefiting from the stable microstructure.

Thermoelectric (TE) technology offers a promising solution for waste heat recovery, particularly in applications involving abundant low-grade heat (<650 K). However, for over half a century, TE power generators have predominantly relied on Bi2Te3 alloys with limited efficiencies below 7%. Herein, Cd and S are doped into Sb2Te3 to promote microstructural regulation characterized by dense twin boundaries and dislocations, resulting in a 45% reduction of lattice thermal conductivity at 300 K. Combined with the optimized density-of-states effective mass and expanded band gap, the Cd0.04Sb1.96Te2.94S0.06 sample attains a peak ZT of 1.1 at 650 K and an average ZT of 1.0 from 500 to 650 K, while exhibiting remarkable compressive and bending strengths of 197 and 56 MPa. Most importantly, a well-designed, homogeneous segmented TE power generator, constructed entirely from Bi-Sb-Te alloys, achieves a remarkable efficiency of 9.3% under a temperature gradient of 350 K, as certified by third-party validation. This work provides new insights into extending the operation temperature of Bi2Te3, demonstrating great potential for low-grade waste heat harvest.

The development of pure organic photosensitizers remains challenging due to the low intersystem crossing efficiency and the instability of triplet excitons. Herein, fused-ring phosphorescent molecules enhance visible-light absorption, with heteroatom-rich structures breaking the restriction of low triplet excitons. A derivative, 2,3,5,6,9,10-hexabutoxy-8-phenyldithieno-tribenzo-pyridine (TPy), exhibits high ISC efficiency and efficiently sensitizes Fe-catalysts for CO2 photoreduction to CO. We further developed a self-assembly method to stabilize triplet excitons by embedding TPy within the rigid core of amphiphilic polymer nanoparticles. The hydrophobic core of the nanoparticles significantly prolongs the excited-state lifetime, while the hydrophilic shell ensures excellent dispersibility and stability. This system achieves a turnover number of 2041 and retains 93.5% of its initial activity after three cycles. Our work provides a general strategy for designing stable and highly efficient organic photosensitizers, paving the way for sustainable photoredox catalysis.