Robust tri-color long persistent luminescence of phosphor-in-glass for outdoor application

Long persistent luminescence (LPL) phosphors have been widely commercialized as 'glow-in-the-dark' paints, which release the stored excitation energy in traps slowly by thermal disturbance as light. Thus, LPL materials suitable for outdoor applications require weatherability, especially a high degree of water-resistance. In this work, robust tricolors originated from LPL phosphor-in-glass (LPIG) is deliberately fabricated with the respectively combination of ZnGa2O4: Cr3+, Bi3+ (red), SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ (green), CaAl2O4: Eu2+, Nd3+ (blue) LPL phosphor and B2O3-SiO2-ZnO precursor glass matrix. The excellent LPL performance of the LPIG is comparable to their counterpart phosphor, meanwhile, exhibits remarkably acidic and alkaline solution resistance, as well as the anti-hydration reaction. Thanks to the long-term protection of glass host matrix to the activators, our study unambiguously demonstrates the long-term reliable tri-color LPL output from LPIG, which ensures their potential application for outdoor extreme environment.