Realizing Bright-Dark Dual-Field Multimode Optical Signals in Photochromic Apatite Phosphors for Security...

Regulating defect distribution in inorganic phosphors is paramount for realizing multimode dual-field optical signals for high security level identification but remains an ongoing challenge. Here, we propose a strategy of equivalent anion doping and nonequivalent cation doping to successfully regulate the trap distribution and density in Ba₅(PO₄)₃Cl:F^-,Eu²⁺,Ce³⁺ (BPCF-AG) phosphors. Due to the coexistence of shallow and deep traps for different photon processes, the BPCF-AG exhibits simultaneous photochromism in a bright field and tetramode luminescence (photoluminescence, afterglow, 980 nm photostimulated luminescence, and 650/532 nm photostimulated afterglow) in a dark field. The trap roles responsible for versatile optical behaviors are investigated by thermoluminescence curves, and a reasonable mechanism is proposed. In addition, we design a series of demonstrations for security identification and information encryption based on the dual-field multimode optical signals of BPCF-AG to illustrate its potential application scenarios.