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Updated: Jul 13, 2025
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Published on: September 7, 2022
Subnano Te Cluster in Glass for Efficient Full-Spectrum Conversion.
Quan Dong1, Ke Zhang1, Yupeng Huang1
1State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fiber Laser Materials and Applied Techniques, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research and Development Center of Special Optical Fiber Materials and Devices, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
Researchers developed a novel photonic glass using subnano tellurium (Te) clusters, achieving broadband near-infrared (NIR) luminescence. This material shows potential for night vision and biomedical applications, utilizing visible light for excitation.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Photonics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Broadband near-infrared (NIR) photonic materials are crucial for various applications.
- Existing materials struggle to cover the NIR I and II regions (750-1500 nm) efficiently.
- Rare-earth, transition-metal, and semiconductor-based NIR materials have limitations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the need for efficient broadband NIR photonic materials.
- To explore the potential of subnano tellurium (Te) clusters for NIR luminescence.
- To develop a novel photonic glass with enhanced NIR emission properties.
Main Methods:
- In situ generation and stabilization of Te clusters within a glass matrix.
- Fabrication of a novel active photonic glass embedded with Te clusters.
- Characterization of the optical properties, including NIR luminescence and visible-spectrum conversion.
Main Results:
- A novel photonic glass with subnano Te clusters was successfully fabricated.
- The glass exhibited intense, broadband short-wave NIR luminescence (center wavelength 1030 nm, bandwidth >330 nm).
- The material demonstrated full visible-spectrum conversion (300-800 nm) and smartphone-based excitation for night vision and tissue penetration applications.
Conclusions:
- Subnano Te clusters offer a new pathway for developing broadband NIR photonic materials.
- The developed photonic glass exhibits unique properties for advanced optical applications.
- Cluster design in glass provides a fundamental principle for creating novel functional composite materials.
