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Despite its 5-year event-free survival rate increasing to 60-65% due to surgery and chemotherapy, osteosarcoma (OS) remains one of the most threatening malignant human tumors, especially in young patients. Therefore, a new approach that combines early diagnosis with efficient tumor eradication and bioimaging is urgently needed. Here, a new type of mesoporous silica-coated bismuth sulfide nanoparticles (Bi 2 S 3 @MSN NPs) is developed. The well distributed mesoporous pores and large surface areas hold great promise for drug protection and encapsulation (doxorubicin (DOX), 99.85%). Moreover, the high photothermal efficiency of Bi 2 S 3 @MSNs (36.62%) offers great possibility for cancer synergistic treatment and highly near-infrared-triggered drug release (even at an ultralow power density of 0.3 W cm -2 ). After covalently conjugated to arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide [c(RGDyC)], the NPs exhibit a high specificity for osteosarcoma and finally accumulate in the tumor cells (tenfold more than peritumoral tissues) for computed tomography (CT) imaging and tumor ablation. Importantly, the synergistic photothermal therapy-chemotherapy of the RGD-Bi 2 S 3 @MSN/DOX significantly ablates the highly malignant OS. It is further proved that the superior combined killing effect is achieved by activating the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Hence, the smart RGD-Bi 2 S 3 @MSN/DOX theranostic platform is a promising candidate for future applications in CT monitoring and synergistic treatment of malignant tumors., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A new type of bismuth doped Ba(2)B(5)O(9)Cl crystal is reported to exhibit broadband near infrared (NIR) photoluminescence at room temperature, which has been identified here originating from elementary bismuth atom. Rietveld refining, static and dynamic spectroscopic properties reveal two types of Bi(0) centers in the doped compound due to the successful substitution for two different nine-coordinated barium lattice sites. These centers can be created only in a reducing condition, and when treated in air and N(2)/H(2) flow in turn, they can be removed and restored reversely. As the dwelling time is prolonged in N(2)/H(2) at high temperature, conversion from Bi(2+) to Bi(0), as reflected by changes of their relative emission intensities, is witnessed in the crystal of Ba(2)B(5)O(9)Cl:Bi. The lifetime of the NIR luminescence was observed in a magnitude of ~30 μs, rather different from bismuth doped either glasses or crystals reported previously.

Superbroad near-to-mid infrared (NIR-MIR) photoluminescence was observed from Bi5(AlCl4)3 at room temperature, spanning the spectral range of about 1000 to 4000 nm. On the basis of structural considerations and dynamic analyses, Bi5(3+) clusters were identified as the optically active species, inherently differing from the species which is typically believed to be active in NIR-emitting Bi-doped glasses. In comparison to most other NIR-luminescent Bi-doped materials, the MIR-part of the luminescence spectrum is still present at room temperature. Emission intensity and excited state lifetime were found to exhibit abnormal temperature dependence, where the former increases with temperature up to a critical value of about 150 K. This behavior is related to a temperature-dependent overlap between ground state and excited states. The observed stabilization of MIR photoemission at room temperature may be a starting point for the development of Bi-based NIR-MIR light sources with superbroad emission spectrum, where Bi5(3+) or similar polycationic species act as optical gain medium.

Bismuth (Bi)‐doped photonic glasses and fibers with broadband near‐infrared (NIR) photoemission have potential applications in tunable lasers and broadband amplifiers. Yet, when it comes to all wavelength amplification of optical communication, it remains challenging to achieve efficient Bi NIR emission in the technically relevant C‐ and L‐ bands (1530‐1625 nm). Here, we propose a scheme by fluorination triggered enhancement of ultra‐broadband Bi NIR emission in nitrided germanate glasses. Besides, compared to previous research, a unique and efficient Bi‐activated ultra‐wideband NIR emission with new emission bands peaked at ~924 and ~1520 nm under excitation of 450 nm are obtained in nitrided germanate glasses after fluorination. Moreover, the fluorination can modulate the local chemical environment by forcing the conversion of aluminum species from AlO4 to AlO5 and AlO6 and consequently increase the flexibility of the glass network structure, which finally induces the conversion of Bi species and then manipulates the relative emission intensity of different Bi NIR centers. Thus, a flat and tunable emission spectrum covering the entire optical communication band is obtained by optimizing the fluoride amount. We believe this work is helpful to design the Bi‐doped tunable fiber lasers and ultra‐broadband amplifiers for all wavelength amplification of optical communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light sources as the substitution for sunlight play an important role due to their practical applications in aircraft, medicine, and agriculture. Bi3+ ions show tunable emission from ultraviolet to deep red depending on local crystal field, presenting great potential in mimicking sunlight. However, these emissions are mainly limited to crystals. To stabilize Bi3+ ions inside photonic glasses with desirable emission and excellent physical properties remains challenging. Here, we managed to stabilize Bi3+ with ultrabroad and tunable emission inside glasses at air atmosphere. This emission spans the whole visible range of 350‐780 nm and matches well with the sunlight spectra. For the first time, an external quantum efficiency of 34% was obtained from Bi‐doped photonic glasses without optimizing glass composition. We find that the local oxidation atmosphere from super‐oxide ions and proper crystal field formed by AlO4 are responsible for this unique luminescence, which is revealed by the detailed comparison on the optical and structural properties of calcium aluminate glasses and Ca12Al14O33 crystals with the same composition. Moreover, glasses with distortion structure further results in multiluminescent centers of Bi3+ so as to broaden the emission band. This work provides new insights into the luminescent behaviors of Bi ions in luminescent materials, and should contribute to designing new photonic glasses in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth (Bi)‐doped glasses and fibers are of current interest as promising active media for new fiber lasers and amplifiers due to their 800‐1700 nm near‐infrared (NIR) emission. However, the optically active Bi centers in silica are easily volatilized during high‐temperature fiber drawing, which results in low Bi doping concentration and low gain NIR luminescence. Here, we explored the glass‐forming region in a model glass system of sodium tantalum silicate (Na2O‐Ta2O5‐SiO2) glass and attained suitable glass host for enhancing Bi NIR emission, right followed by detailed analysis on optical and structural characterization. Glass‐forming region roughly lies in where Ta2O5 ≤ 30 mol%, SiO2 ≥ 40 mol%, and Na2O ≤ 40 mol%. Not only is glass‐forming ability improved but also Bi NIR emission is enhanced (~60 times) by the introduction of Ta into glass network. Dissociated Na cations are restricted beside Ta, the high‐field‐strength element, so that the negative impacts of Na cations on glass formation and Bi NIR emission are weakened, which is responsible for the highly enhanced Bi NIR emission. This work helps us understand the glass‐forming of tantalum silicate glass systems and luminescent behaviors of Bi. Hopefully, it could contribute to designing the Bi‐doped laser glasses and high gain fibers with stable luminescent properties in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As one kind of novel and burgeoning laser materials, bismuth‐doped silicate glasses have aroused increasing attention for the super broadband near‐infrared (NIR) emission. However, the large optical scattering loss, resulting from optical heterogeneity in glass color and refractive index, limits their further applications in telecommunication system. Thus, it is urgent to uncover the essence of heterogeneity in Bi‐doped silicate glasses and subsequently improve glass optical performance. It will give us some hint to homogenize the glass component and Bi active centers so as to boost the development of Bi‐based glass materials. Here, taking 1 typical Bi‐doped calcium aluminosilicate glass as an example, we revealed the origin of the optical heterogeneities in glass color and refractive index through the NIR emission spectra, electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) of elements and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of Bi 4f5/2, Bi 4f7/2, and Al 2p. The inhomogeneous distribution of Bi and aluminum components is responsible for the heterogeneity in this glass system. In addition, we found that tetrahedral coordinated aluminum favors the existence of Bi NIR centers, consequently resulting in enhanced Bi NIR emissions. Furthermore, based on our results and the role of Al3+ in glass network, we demonstrate the homogenizing of glass component by finely tuning glass composition. This work will enrich the understanding of Bi‐doped laser glass and provide a guideline for the design of component‐derived Bi‐doped silicate glasses and fibers with efficient NIR emission and high optical quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bismuth‐doped glasses and fibers with broadband near‐infrared (NIR) emission have garnered much attention on account of their potential applications in new fiber lasers and broadband amplifiers. Yet the realization of high gain from Bi‐doped fibers and highly efficient NIR emission from Bi‐doped glasses are still a stubborn puzzle. The enhancement of Bi NIR emission is normally based on modifying the glass composition and topology, which will change the structure of the glass over a wide range and alter the thermal or mechanical properties of the glass simultaneously, making it more complicated for the designing and fabricating of Bi fibers with good performance. Here, we find that a trace addition of Si3N4 can efficiently enhance the Bi NIR emission without changing the glass structure significantly, right followed by spectral and structural analysis. 27Al NMR measurement reveals that the short‐ to medium‐range order of this glass is unchanged. The EPMA measurement confirms the homogeneity of fabricated glass. The great enhancement and red‐shift under blue light excitation may originate from the conversion of Bi active centers to low valence. Our results indicate that the trace addition of nitride could be a facile and maneuverable way to control the valence of active ions in glasses, which may contribute to improving the performance of photonic glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Because of ultra‐broadband near‐infrared (NIR) emission bismuth‐activated glasses and fibers offer a new promising platform for novel photonic devices such as new type of optical amplifiers and broadly tunable fiber lasers. Yet, challenge remains to manipulate the NIR emission behavior of bismuth (Bi) in photonic glasses for efficient Bismuth‐doped fiber and fiber lasers. Here, by engineering phosphorus and aluminum's topology, broadly tunable NIR emission has been realized in Bismuth‐doped phosphate laser glass. Structural and optical analyses on 27Al magic‐angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR), 31P MAS NMR, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and static emission spectra suggest that polymerization of glass network can be improved by proper addition of aluminum into the system, which can be evidenced by partial conversion of Q2 to Q3 species of phosphorus and the shift of P–O–P asymmetric stretching vibration toward lower frequency, and this turns out beneficial to Bi NIR emission. Embedding aluminum tetrahedra into phosphorus glass network can reduce the local crystal field around bismuth and therefore lead to the blueshift of Bi emission. This work presents new insights into the luminescent behavior of Bi ions in phosphate glass and it helps the design and fabrication of Bismuth‐doped glasses and fibers in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of superbroad luminescence in the range of near infrared ( NIR), Bi-doped glasses and fibers have received more attentions recently for the applications in super broadband optical fiber amplifiers or new wavelength lasers. As the luminescence comes from the transitions between naked 6p orbitals of bismuth, it is very susceptible to slight changes of local field around Bi. Therefore, it is always very challenging to predict NIR emission of bismuth in advance. Here, we found bismuth NIR emission shows predictable tendency in ternary glass system of MgO-Al2O3-SiO2. The emission peak shifts red along the content of magnesium upon the excitation of 484 nm, which follows a single exponential growth equation. In the meantime, the full width at half maximum ( FWHM) is broadened while the lifetime keeps decreasing. Glass structure analysis on basis of FTIR, 27Al NMR, 29Si NMR spectra reveals that these changes correlate to integrity of glass network, the increased disorder of local field around bismuth and the enhanced interaction between bismuth and host, which are perhaps due to the linear increase of nonbridging oxygen, and the enhanced Si-O asymmetric stretching vibrations along with magnesium, respectively. Electron probe microanalysis shows good homogeneity of Si, Al, Mg, Bi, and O distribution within the samples, and yoyo experiments of heating and cooling between 30°C and 300°C reveal the good resistance of such doped glasses to thermal degradation. This makes the glasses promising in applications of fiber devices even under extreme condition such as at higher temperature. The finding in this work should be helpful for the design of Bi-doped laser glasses in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bismuth-doped glasses and crystals have been widely investigated due to their intriguing potential applications in superbroadband fiber amplifier and lasers in new NIR spectral range. However, few reports have been devoted so far to bismuth-doped transparent glass-ceramics. Here, this work reports on bismuth-doped silicate glasses and glass-ceramics, which were prepared by melt-quenching and consequent annealing processes, respectively. On the basis of the analyses on crystallization kinetics, nucleation and growth rate of crystalline phase can be modulated and Sr2YbF7 nanophase can, therefore, be precipitated uniformly inside the glass matrix in a controlled way to maintain proper transparence especially in optical telecommunication windows. Once the nanophase comes into being, enhanced bismuth NIR luminescence can be observed by more than 40 times upon excitation of 470 nm. Similar enhancement can appear upon different excitation schemes and the mechanism is discussed accordingly. Such Bi doped transparent glass-ceramics with improved luminescence efficiency might find application in fiber lasers for future optical fiber communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new member of laser glass family, bismuth-doped glasses have received rising interests due to the application of fiber amplifiers and laser sources in the new spectral range for the next-generation optical communication system. For practical application of the glasses, it must be considered on how to improve the luminescence efficiency. Here, we demonstrate that addition of aluminum can enhance the bismuth near-infrared luminescence by more than 10 000 times, which is right followed by the discussion on the mechanism on why this can happen. We believe this work can be helpful for designing bismuth-doped multiple component laser glasses with high efficiency. In addition, because of high susceptibility of bismuth to local field change, it can be used as probe ion to envision glass structures. Using bismuth as a luminescent structural probe, we can see the modifier ions of Bi+ are not completely randomly distributed inside germanate glass and they prefer the residence around tetrahedral AlO4 sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphors with an efficient yellow-emitting color play a crucial role in phosphor-converted white LEDs (pc-WLEDs), but popular yellow phosphors such as YAG:Ce or Eu2+-doped (oxy)nitrides cannot smoothly meet this seemingly simple requirement due to their strong absorptions in the visible range. Herein, we report a novel yellow-emitting LuVO4:Bi3+ phosphor that can solve this shortcoming. The emission from LuVO4:Bi3+ shows a peak at 576 nm with a quantum efficiency (QE) of up to 68 %, good resistance to thermal quenching ( T50 %=573 K), and no severe thermal degradation after heating-cooling cycles upon UV excitation. The yellow emission, as verified by X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), originates from the (3P0,3P1)→1S0 transitions of Bi3+. Increasing the temperature from 10 to 300 K produces a temperature-dependent energy-transfer process between VO43− groups and Bi3+, and further heating of the samples to 573 K intensifies the emission. However, it subsequently weakens, accompanied by blueshifts of the emission peaks. This abnormal anti-thermal quenching can be ascribed to temperature-dependent energy transfer from VO43− groups to Bi3+, a population redistribution between the excited states of 3P0 and 3P1 upon thermal stimulation, and discharge of electrons trapped in defects with a trap depth of 359 K. Device fabrication with the as-prepared phosphor LuVO4:Bi3+ has proved that it can act as a good yellow phosphor for pc-WLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trivalent green element of bismuth, when doped into different compounds, can produce multiple emissions in ultraviolet, blue, green or even yellow spectral regimes. The emission adjustability comes from the susceptibility of bismuth naked 6s electrons to the crystal field particularly surrounding Bi3+. However, this has never been observed in a single compound. In this work, we report that broadly tunable bismuth emission indeed occurs even within the same host (CaMoO4) when the local microenvironment around Bi3+ is modified by intentional introduction of alkali ions. As the radius of the selected alkali ion decreases, the emission regularly blue-shifts from 586 to 554 nm, and its intensity is enhanced greatly. For instance, the integrated intensity for the Li+ and Bi3+ codoped sample is 4.46 times stronger than the Bi3+ single-doped sample upon excitation at 300 nm. Low-temperature photoluminescence spectra surprisingly reveal that energy transfer can partially take place from the MoO42- group to Bi3+ at lower temperature when excited into the charge transfer state of the MoO42- group, however, this does not occur at higher temperature. The mechanism needs further study. Dynamic luminescence analysis between 10 and 300 K implies a population dependence of the excited states 3P0 and 3P1 on temperature that is responsible for the evolution of the Bi3+ emission lifetime with temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the mixed network effect of broadband near-infrared ( NIR) emission of Bi-doped borogermanate glasses. On excitation with 808 nm laser diode ( LD) radiation, the fluorescence emission intensity at 1235 nm with a full width at half maximum ( FWHM) of about 200 nm was found to vary with B2 O3 content, which agrees well with the variation tendency of the absorption intensity at 500 and 700 nm. The peak position and the intensity of the NIR emission depend strongly on the excitation wavelength. Two kinds of bismuth centers are proposed to coexist in the Bi-doped borogermanate glasses: Bi0 and Bi+, which contribute to the NIR emissions at 1240 and 1095 nm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Broadband infrared luminescence covering the optical telecommunication wavelength region of O, E and S bands was observed from bismuth-doped zinc aluminosilicate glasses and glass-ceramics. The spectroscopic properties of the glasses and glass-ceramics depend on the thermal-treatment history. With the appearance of gahnite (ZnAl2O4) crystalline phase, the fluorescent peak moves to longer wavelength, but the fluorescent intensity decreases. The ∼1300nm fluorescence with a FWHM larger than 250nm and a lifetime longer than 600μs possesses these optical materials with potential applications in laser devices and broadband amplifiers. The broad infrared luminescence from the bismuth-doped zinc aluminosilicate glasses and glass-ceramics might be from BiO or bismuth clusters rather than from Bi5+ and Bi3+. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wideband near‐infrared (NIR)‐emitting materials are of current interest due to their practical utilization in light sources and tunable fiber lasers for optical sensing, imaging, and amplification. Though massive research is devoted to exploring materials activated by rare‐earth ions, transition metals, and semiconductor nanocrystals, the pursuit of photonic materials with ultra‐wideband emission over an extremely wide wavelength range is still not satisfied, especially for transparent amorphous solids which are suitable for active‐fiber applications. Here, such NIR emission is realized via topochemical reduction of bismuth in an amorphous solid. Constructing a local reduction environment around Bi extends its NIR emission to abnormal 0.8–1.9 µm with an incomparable bandwidth of >650 nm, which fully covers the whole NIR region under a single wavelength excitation, that is, from the transparency windows of biological tissue over the technically essential low‐loss optical communication. Furthermore, it is experimentally shown that the same scenario can be reproduced in other typical glass systems. It is anticipated that this strategy should help fundamentally improve the optical performance of Bi‐doped glasses and contribute to exploring new photonic materials. A facile way for strongly improving the optical performance of Bi‐doped glasses through topochemical reduction is presented. In this way, an emission bandwidth which covers the whole near‐infrared region can be realized without secondary dopants, at low dopant concentration. This provides significant advantages in the design of Bi‐based fiber optical amplifiers and lasers and beats previous materials in terms of bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unusual concentration induced antithermal quenching of divalent bismuth ions occurs in heavily Bi2+-doped Sr2P2O7 phosphors along with a blueshift of the emission peak at higher temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We report a new structural model describing the negatively charged local environment. • Ta 2 O 5 as network modifier causes the excess of the local negative charges. • Substitution of Al3+ for Si4+ can produce similar excess negative charges. • The excess of the local negative charges leads to the stabilization of Bi0 and Bi+. • Conversion of Bi0 into Bi+ causes the fine-tuning of Bi NIR emission. Bismuth (Bi)-doped glasses have the potential to be applied in tunable photonic devices owing to their broadband near-infrared (NIR) luminescence. However, it is still challenging to develop Bi-doped glasses with luminescence performance at desirable emission wavelength since it is hard to stabilize the specific luminescent Bi centers. In this work, a structural model describing the negatively charged local environments is proposed to stabilize the activated Bi centers by adding Ta 2 O 5 and/or Al 2 O 3 in Bi-doped silicate glasses. The results show that the structural model leads to great enhancement of the NIR emission, the broadening of the emission bandwidth and the blueshift of the emission peak, compared to the samples without Ta 2 O 5 /Al 2 O 3 doping. The change in NIR emission performances could originate from the generation of active Bi+ centers. The latter arises from oxidation of Bi0 induced by the negatively charged local environments around Bi. Moreover, the intensity of the Bi NIR emission is enhanced, and this is attributed both to the suppression of phase separation by adding Ta 2 O 5 and to the dispersing effect of alumina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report on excitation wavelength-dependent near-infrared luminescence from Bi-doped silica glass prepared by chemical vapor deposition technique. The peak position of the emission bands shows a complex change between 1120nm and 1270nm with increasing excitation wavelength from 280nm to 980nm. This behavior can be well explained by existence of two kinds of Bi active centers, Bi0 and Bi+, which contribute to the NIR emissions at 1120nm and 1267nm, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• An extraordinary absorption efficiency of 73.21% was discovered from SrZnSO:0.03Bi3+. • SrZnSO:Bi3+ exhibits a wide near-ultraviolet excitation band and an ideal blue emission band. • The relationship between the excitation peak of Bi3+-related phosphors and the polyhedron size were summarized. • A outstanding CRI (93.4) and low CCT (4051 K) were achieved from the fabricated WLEDs. [Display omitted] Trivalent bismuth (Bi3+) activated blue-emitting materials have attracted considerable attention because they effectively avoid the reabsorption demerits compared to traditional rare earth activators. Unfortunately, these materials are often plagued by mismatch to the near-ultraviolet (n-UV) chip and short blue emission peak as well as low n-UV absorption efficiency. In this work, we successfully designed a blue-emitting phosphor SrZnSO:Bi3+ with a wide n-UV excitation band ranging from 310 to 400 nm and an ideal blue emission band centered at 460 nm. Furthermore, SrZnSO:0.03Bi3+ phosphor exhibits an extraordinary absorption efficiency of 73.21% ascribed to the intense absorption of the matrix and Bi3+ in the n-UV region. The relationship between the excitation peak position of Bi3+-related phosphors and the size of the polyhedron were also summarized. A white light-emitting diode (WLED) was fabricated using a 370 nm n-UV chip, the composition-optimized sample SrZnSO:0.03Bi3+ and the commercial phosphors. Interestingly, the temperature-sensitive luminescence behavior is beneficial to the performance improvement of the WLED. The WLED demonstrates a warm white light whose Commission Internationale de L′Eclairage (CIE) coordinates are (0.3817, 0.3885), outstanding color rendering index of 93.4 and low correlated color temperature of 4051 K at current of 80 mA. The study suggests that SrZnSO:Bi3+ blue emitting phosphor has great potential in LED-based applications. Also inspires researchers to explore Bi3+-related phosphors with low energy excitation band and high absorption efficiency to develop high-quality n-UV pumped WLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persistent luminescence (PersL) materials that can be excited by natural sunlight are in great demand to reduce energy consumption, but the design and development of efficient sunlight-activated PersL phosphor remains a daunting challenge so far. Herein, we report the development of a new kind of sunlight-activated PersL material based on Bi3+-doped Sr 3 Y 2 Ge 3 O 12 (SYGO) phosphor, which exhibits an intense UV–Visible-NIR PersL and possesses a super-long PersL longer than 60 h. This newly developed PersL material can be effectively and repeatedly activated by sunlight radiation in all kinds of weather conditions because of its high response to both direct sunlight and diffuse solar radiation. Owing to the existence of stabilized deep traps with suitable depths, SYGO:Bi3+ also shows excellent photostimulated luminescence (PSL) properties. A series of excitation-time-dependent TL experiments, PL and PersL spectra were systematically studied to reveal the trapping and de-trapping processes of this material. Furthermore, by utilizing the unique PersL and PSL properties, we demonstrate the applications of SYGO:Bi3+ for night-vision signage and optical information storage. Our achievement in the case of Bi3+-doped SYGO phosphor is expected to promote the future development of more excellent sunlight-activated and photostimulated PersL materials towards versatile practical applications. [Display omitted] • Develop a new kind of sunlight-activated persistent luminescence (PersL) material • Discover their ability of being repeatedly excited by sunlight in all weather conditions • This material exhibits outstanding photostimulated luminescence properties. • Unravel the trapping and de-trapping processes and the underlying PersL mechanism • Successfully demonstrate of this material for energy storage applications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A series of Bi and nonactive rare earth (RE) codoped aluminoborate glasses were prepared and systematically investigated. • The effect of nonactive RE on aluminoborate glasses structure and optical basicity was determined. • When discussing the energy transfer between optical centers with multiple valences and RE ions (such as Bi, Mn and Cr), the effect of RE on glass structure and optical basicity should be considered. Bismuth (Bi) doped glasses and fibers, as a new generation of gain media, have been drawing wide attention for the super broad and long lived near infrared (NIR) emission. Yet, great challenge exists for modulating the Bi NIR emission in multi-component glasses. Codoping rare earth ions is a feasible way to modulate the NIR emission properties of Bi, yet limited success have been achieved. Here, to provide deeper understanding on Bi-RE codoped glass, we prepared a series of Bi and nonactive rare earth (RE) codoped aluminoborate glasses and systematically investigated the optical and structure properties. Evidenced by detailed structural and optical characterizations, it is found that the addition of nonactive RE ions changes the glass structure and optical basicity, so as to alter the optical properties of Bi. These results indicate that one should consider the effect of codopant on glass structure and optical basicity when modulating the optical spectra of active ions based on energy transfer, especially for those with multiple valences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]