Enhancing c-Si Solar Cell Efficiency in the UV Region: Photophysical Insights into the Use of Eu3+ Complexes for Down-Shifting Layer Applications.

[Eu(3DPIQC)3] (where DPIQC = 3-(diphenyl phosphoryl)-1-isoquinolinecarboxylate), a luminescent europium complex with antenna ligands, has been carefully embedded within a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) matrix and the resulting material was used to prepare films used as luminescent down-shifting layers (LDSLs) for crystalline Si-based solar cells. The films were characterized using photoluminescence spectroscopy, atomic force spectroscopy (AFM), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. The AFM analysis shows films with low surface roughness, while fluorescence microscopy revealed that the Eu complex embedded in PVB assumed a spheroidal configuration, a morphology especially beneficial for optical applications. The so-obtained LDSLs were utilized as energy converters in c-Si solar cells to enhance the utilization of high-energy photons, thereby improving their overall efficiency. The determination of photovoltaic parameters carried out before and after the deposition of the LDSLs on the c-Si cells confirms a positive effect on the efficiency of the cell. The Jsc increases from 121.6 mA/cm2 to 124.9 mA/cm2, and the open circuit voltage (Voc) is found to be unrelated to the complex concentration in the films. The fill factor (FF) remains constant with the Eu concentration. The EQE curves indicate an enhancement in the performance of the photovoltaic cells within the UV region of the spectrum for all coated devices. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was also carried out in order to analyze the effect of the Eu complex in the charge transfer process of the devices.

New europium-doped carbon nanoparticles showing long-lifetime photoluminescence: Synthesis, characterization and application to the determination of tetracycline in waters.

The growing appearance of antibiotic-resistant strains of microorganisms originated from the widespread use and ubiquitous presence of such drugs is a major concern in the world. The development of methodologies able to detect such substances at low concentration in real water samples is mandatory to overcome this problem. Europium(III) is known to form complexes with tetracycline (TC) with photoluminescent characteristics useful for TC determination. In the present work, we synthesized for the first time carbon nanoparticles (CN) showing delayed photoluminescence using a Europium(III) doping synthesis. The new material (PCNEu) was characterized both morphologically and spectroscopically, showing an analytical photoluminescent signal in presence of TC, arising from the 5D0→7F2 transition of europium, one hundred times higher than that of the europium salt alone in presence of the antibiotic. This enhancement is a consequence of the amplifying effect exerted by nanoparticle structure itself, leading to an efficient synergistic "antenna effect" in the system PCNEu - TC. The analytical signal is affected both by pH and the nature of the buffer used, and it allows the detection of tetracycline in waters with a limit of detection of 2.18 nM and recoveries between 90 and 110%. The analytical performance of the developed methodology enables having lower limits of detection than other luminescent and chemiluminescent reported methodologies.

Thermally coupled energy levels of Eu 3+ within the BaHfO3 matrix, excited with UV radiation.

The present work reports the study of the thermally coupled energy levels of the trivalent europium ion in the barium hafnate matrix, in the temperature range of 289.7-323.8 K, through the application of ultraviolet radiation. Barium hafnate doped with 1, 3, and 5 atomic % trivalent europium ion was synthesized by the hydrothermal route, using chlorides as precursor elements. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the material crystallized in the perovskite cubic phase of barium hafnate, according to diffraction card file number #24-0102. Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, it was observed that the obtained crystals have an average size of 10 nm. From the photoluminescent analysis at room temperature, it was found that the sample doped with 3.0% atomic of trivalent europium displayed with the highest luminescent emission, while the photoluminescent analysis as a function of temperature showed that the bands associated with the 5D0 → 7FJ (J = 1,2,3,4) transitions have a strong dependence on temperature in the physical range.

Luminescence Properties and Energy Transfer of Eu3+, Bi3+ Co-Doped LuVO4 Films Modified with Pluronic F-127 Obtained by Sol-Gel.

Nowadays, orthovanadates are studied because of their unique properties for optoelectronic applications. In this work, the LuVO4:Eu3+, Bi3+ films were prepared by the sol-gel method, using a new simple route, and deposited by the dip-coating technique. The obtained films are transparent, fracture-free, and homogenous. The sol-gel process was monitored by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) results, the crystal structure was tetragonal, and films that were highly oriented along the (200) low-energy direction were obtained. The morphological studies by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed uniformly distributed circular agglomerations of rice-like particles with nanometric sizes. The luminescence properties of the films were analyzed using a fixed concentration of 2.5 at. % Eu3+ and different concentrations of Bi3+ (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 at. %); all the samples emit in red, and it has been observed that the light yield of Eu3+ is enhanced as the Bi3+ content increases when the films are excited at 350 nm, which corresponds to the 1S0→3P1 transition of Bi3+. Therefore, a highly efficient energy transfer mechanism between Bi3+ and Eu3+ has been observed, reaching up to 71%. Finally, it was established that this energy transfer process occurs via a quadrupole-quadrupole interaction.

Evaluation of the microstructure, chemical composition, and image quality of different PSP receptors

Abstract This study aimed to assess the microstructure, chemical composition, and image quality of different photostimulable phosphor plates (PSP). Four PSP systems, Express®, Digora®, VistaScan®, and Apixia,® were assessed. Five radiographs of a homogeneous acrylic phantom were obtained with the PSP of each system, to acquire a total of 20 images. The images were objectively evaluated for uniformity using mean grey and standard deviation (SD) of their grey values. PSP receptors were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to determine the thickness of the granule layer and the size of the granules. The chemical composition of the PSP receptors was analyzed using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). VistaScan showed more uniform and higher density images than the other tested systems (p < 0.05), as well as the lowest SD of grey values (p < 0.05). Regarding the microstructure of the receptors, Digora and VistaScan had thicker granule layers than Express and Apixia, and VistaScan had smaller granules than Digora and Express (p < 0.05). Fourteen chemical elements were detected in the receptors, with barium being the element with the highest concentration in all PSP systems. The microstructure, chemical composition, and image quality varied among all four PSP receptors studied. VistaScan receptors showed the smallest variation in granule size, one of the thickest granule layers, and the most uniform and least noisy images.

Theoretical and experimental spectroscopic investigation of new Eu(III)-FOD complex containing 2-pyrrolidone ligand.

The preparation and photoluminescent properties of the new [Eu(FOD)3(2-Pyr)2] complex (FOD = 6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-2,2-dimethyl-3,5-octadionate; 2-Pyr = 2-pyrrolidone) are reported. The obtained complex was characterized by elemental analysis, complexometric titration using EDTA, infrared spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The coordination polyhedron of the complex is described as a distorted square antiprismatic with both 2-Pyr monodentate ligands coordinated to Eu(III) via the oxygen atoms, in neutral form, while the three FOD molecules are coordinated in the anionic form. Structural modeling at the PBE1PBE/SVP/MWB52 level of theory provided a geometry in excellent agreement with the one obtained experimentally. Spectroscopy properties such as intensity parameters (Ω2 and Ω4), radiative emission rate (Arad), and chemical partition of Arad for [Eu(FOD)3(2-Pyr)2] and [Eu(FOD)3(H2O)2] were calculated by using the QDC model with help of the semiempirical wavefunctions. The modeling of the ligand-to-metal energy transfer for both complexes was performed, allowing to obtain the theoretical emission quantum yield and to characterize the most relevant molecular orbitals involved.

Transparent Glasses and Glass-Ceramics in the Ternary System TeO2-Nb2O5-PbF2.

Transparent fluorotellurite glasses were prepared by melt-quenching in the ternary system TeO2-Nb2O5-PbF2. The synthesis conditions were adjusted to minimize fluorine loss monitored as HF release. It was found that 10 mol% of Nb2O5 is the optimum content for PbF2 incorporation up to 35 mol% in the tellurite matrix without loss of glass forming ability. Such glass compositions exhibit a wide optical window from 380 nm to about 6 µm. Crystallization properties were carefully investigated by thermal analysis and compositions with higher PbF2 contents exhibit preferential precipitation of lead oxyfluoride Pb2OF2 at lower temperatures. The lead oxyfluoride crystallization mechanism is also governed by a volume nucleation, barely reported in tellurite glasses. Eu3+ doping of these glass compositions also promotes a more efficient nucleation step under suitable heat-treatments, resulting in transparent Eu3+-doped glass-ceramics whereas undoped glass-ceramics are translucent. Finally, Eu3+ spectroscopy pointed out a progressive, more symmetric surrounding around the rare earth ions with increasing PbF2 contents as well as higher quantum efficiencies. These new fluorotellurite glass compositions are promising as luminescent hosts working in the middle infrared.

Synthesis, Structure Study, First-Principles Investigations and Luminescence Properties of Europium and Terbium Complexes.

The synthesis of 1-benzyl-2-((2-Aminoethyl) amino)-5-oxopyrrolidine-3,4-diyl diacetate (boad), an oxopyrrolidine type ligand; designed to coordinate lanthanides (Eu3+ and Tb3+) to get luminescent material. The target complexes showed good photoluminescence properties, which indicate that this type of compound can be used as sensitizers having luminescence for the green (Tb3+) and red (Eu3+) emission. The obtained results revealed that sensitizer efficiency can be improved by adding ligands like acac (Eu(acac)3, which has also enhanced the luminescence quantum output and period for Eu3+ ions. The ground state geometries were developed by using density functional theory at B3LYP/6-31G** level. The charge transfer analysis and electronic properties were performed. The Europium and Terbium complexes formation with boad ligand was explored based on molecular electrostatic potential, MDC-q charges, and frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) analysis.

On the use of Europium (Eu) for designing new metal-based anticancer drugs.

Europium oxide (Eu2O3) was used to evaluate the affinity of this rare earth element for interacting with double-stranded (ds) DNA molecules. To perform the study, we used single molecule force spectroscopy with optical tweezers and gel electrophoresis assays. Force spectroscopy experiments show that Eu2O3 presents a strong interaction with dsDNA, and the binding is independent on the ionic strength used in the surrounding environment. Among the main characteristics of the interaction, Eu2O3 tends to bind in a cooperative way, forming bound clusters of ∼ 3 molecules, and presents a high equilibrium association binding constant on the order of 105 M-1. In addition, gel electrophoresis confirm the weak electrostatic character of the interaction and explicit show that Eu2O3 does not interfere on drug intercalation into the double-helix. Such results demonstrate the potential of europium for interacting with nucleic acids and strongly suggest that this rare earth element may be considered for the design of new metal-based anticancer drugs in the future.

Luminescent behavior of Eu3+ doped BaHfO3 perovskite ceramic under UV radiation.

In this paper, luminescent properties of Europium trivalent ion in the matrix with unbalanced charge of barium hafnate under UV radiation, with special emphasis on the 5D0 → 7F0 transition are reported. The synthesis was conducted by the hydrothermal route at 200 °C with a reaction time of 90 min using chlorides as raw materials. In order to determinate the luminescent quenching concentration, the samples were doped with different amounts of Europium trivalent ions being the sample doped with 1 and 3% at of Eu3+ which shows the highest luminescent emission. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the material crystallize in the cubic perovskite structure with space group Pm-3m. The Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) shows there are not elements other those that Ba, Hf, O and Eu in the synthesized material. Photoluminescent emission spectra show peaks of emission associated with the 5D0 → 7FJ (J = 0,1,2,3,4) transitions, characteristics of europium ion. The 5D0 → 7F0 transition centered at 580 nm showed an unusual great intensity when it was excited with the wavelength associated with the charge transfer band (272 nm). Finally the decay time was measured in the 5D0 → 7FJ (J = 0,1,2,3,4) transitions using the sample doped with Eu3+ (3% at).

Odd-Even Effect on Luminescence Properties of Europium Aliphatic Dicarboxylate Complexes.

The odd-even effect in luminescent [Eu2 (L)3 (H2 O)x ]⋅y(H2 O) complexes with aliphatic dicarboxylate ligands (L: OXA, MAL, SUC, GLU, ADP, PIM, SUB, AZL, SEB, UND, and DOD, where x=2-6 and y=0-4), prepared by the precipitation method, was observed for the first time in lanthanide compounds. The final dehydration temperatures of the Eu3+ complexes show a zigzag pattern as a function of the carbon chain length of the dicarboxylate ligands, leading to the so-called odd-even effect. The FTIR data confirm the ligand-metal coordination via the mixed mode of bridge-chelate coordination, except for the Eu3+ -oxalate complex. XRD results indicate that the highly crystalline materials belong to the monoclinic system. The odd-even effect on the 4 f-4 f luminescence intensity parameters (Ω2 and Ω4 ) is explained by using an extension of the dynamic coupling mechanism, herein named the ghost-atom model. In this method, the long-range polarizabilities ( α* ) were simulated by a ghost atom located at the middle of each ligand chain. The values of α* were estimated using the localized molecular orbital approach. The emission intrinsic quantum yield ( QLnLn ) of the Eu3+ complexes also presented an the odd-even effect, successfully explained in terms of the zigzag behavior shown by the Ω2 and Ω4 intensity parameters. Luminescence quenching due to water molecules in the first coordination sphere is also discussed and rationalized.

Photocatalytic hydrogen production by strontium titanate-based perovskite doped europium (Sr0.97Eu0.02Zr0.1Ti0.9O3).

The aim of the present research was to study the photocatalytic activity under UV/visible irradiation of the ceramic compound Sr0.97Eu0.02Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 (SEZT1) using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a sacrificial agent to produce H2. The effects of the reaction parameters such as pH, the initial concentration of the sacrificial agent, and the amount of photocatalyst were systematically investigated through response surface methodology. The results showed that the photocatalytic performance was strongly affected by higher levels of sacrificial agent concentration (70.0 mM EDTA) and by low amounts of photocatalyst SEZT1 (0.01 g/L as catalyst loading) at alkaline conditions (pH 9.0) after 5 h of UV irradiation (6140.04 µmol), using Eu-doped strontium zirconate titanate as semiconductor.

Luminescent Properties of Eu3+-Doped Hybrid SiO2-PMMA Material for Photonic Applications.

Hybrid organic-inorganic materials are of great interest for various applications. Here, we report on the synthesis and optical characterization of silica-PMMA samples with different Eu3+ molar concentrations. The optical properties of this material make it suitable for photonic applications. The samples were prepared using the sol-gel method, mixing tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica glass precursor and methyl methacrylate (PMMA) as a polymer component. Europium nitrate pentahydrate was then added in six different molar concentrations (0.0, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1%) to obtain as many different samples of the material. The absorption spectra were obtained applying the Kubelka⁻Munk formula to the diffuse reflectance spectra of the samples, all in the wavelength range between 240 and 2500 nm. The emission and excitation measurements were made in the visible range. Five bands could be identified in the emission spectra, related to electronic transitions of the ion Eu3+ (4D0→7Fi, i from 0 to 4). In the excitation spectra, the following bands were detected: 7F0→5G3 (379 nm), 7F0→5G2 (380 nm), 7F0→5L6 (392 nm), 7F0→5D3 (407 nm), 7F0→5D2 (462 nm), and 7F0→5D1 (530 nm). The emission decay times were measured for the different samples and showed an inverse dependence with the Eu3+ concentration.

Europium(III)-doped yttrium vanadate nanoparticles reduce the toxicity of cisplatin.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor efficiency of chemotherapy with cisplatin alone and incorporated into europium(III)-doped yttrium vanadate nanoparticles functionalized with 3­chloropropyltrimethoxysilane with folic acid and without folic acid in a syngeneic mouse melanoma model. Histopathological, biochemical and genotoxic analyses of treated animals were performed to assess the toxicity of treatments. The treatment of the animals with cisplatin alone and the nanoparticles functionalized with cisplatin at a dose of 5 mg/kg b.w. for 5 days reduced tumor weight about 86% and 65%, respectively. Histopathological analysis showed lower mean frequency of mitoses in tumor tissue of the groups receiving cisplatin alone (90% reduction) and the nanoparticles functionalized with cisplatin (70% reduction) compared to the tumor control group. A reduction in body and liver weight and an increase in serum creatinine and urea levels were observed in animals treated with CDDP, but not in those receiving the nanoparticles functionalized with cisplatin. Genotoxicity assessment by the comet assay revealed lower frequencies of DNA damage in animals treated with the nanoparticles functionalized with cisplatin (mean score = 140.80) compared to those treated with cisplatin alone (mean score = 231.80). Marked toxic effects were observed in animals treated with cisplatin alone, while treatment with the nanoparticles functionalized with cisplatin showed no toxicity. Moreover, folic acid in the inorganic nanoparticles reduced the genotoxicity of cisplatin in the bone marrow micronucleus test (10 ±â€¯1.4 and 40 ±â€¯0.0 micronucleus, respectively). These results demonstrate the antitumor efficiency and significantly reduced systemic toxicity of the nanoparticles compared to CDDP.

Chemisorption of lanthanide ions on succinate-functionalized mesoporous silica: An in situ characterization by fluorescence.

Chemisorption of Eu3+ and Tb3+ on SBA-15 functionalized with succinic groups has been studied by in situ steady-state fluorescence measurements. The enhancement of the emission sensitive bands indicates that both ions adsorb forming inner-sphere surface complexes. Adsorption is a fast process that attains equilibrium in about 5min. The variation of the peaks maxima (I592 and I616, for europium, and I490 and I545, for terbium) with the total ion concentration is accounted for by the sum of the contributions due to the adsorbed and free ions. The former contribution is langmuirian. At pH 4.5, the respective adsorption constants are 5×105 and 3×105M-1, and the maximum adsorption capacities are 5.10×10-4 and 5.23×10-4molg-1. The mismatch between the latter values and the number of attached carboxylic groups is discussed. Comparison with other functionalized mesoporous silicas indicates that the anchored succinic groups are very efficient for removing lanthanide ions from aqueous solutions.

Optical Properties of Europium Tetracycline Complexes in the Presence of High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) Subfractions.

Standard lipoprotein measurements of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) fail to identify many lipoprotein abnormalities that contribute to cardiovascular heart diseases (CHD). Studies suggested that the presence of CHD is more strongly associated with the HDL subspecies than with total HDL cholesterol levels. The HDL particles can be collected in at least three subfractions, the HDL2b, HDL2a, and HDL3. More specifically, atherosclerosis is associated with low levels of HDL2. In this work, the optical spectroscopic properties of europium tetracycline (EuTc) complex in the presence of different HDL subspecies was studied. The results show that the europium spectroscopic properties in the EuTc complex are influenced by sizes and concentrations of subclasses. Eu3+ emission intensity and lifetime can discriminate the subfractions HDL3 and HDL2b.

Influence of Eu(3+) doping content on antioxidant properties of Lu2O3 sol-gel derived nanoparticles.

This paper presents the synthesis of pure and europium-doped lutetium oxide (Lu2O3) powders prepared by sol-gel method. The influence of europium ion concentration into Lu2O3 nanocrystallites was investigated for first time in an in vitro system using a modified ABTS radical cation decolorization assay to determine the antioxidant activity. The crystalline structure of Lu2O3 and Eu:Lu2O3 powders was elucidated by XRD obtaining cubic phase in all system without secondary products in accordance with FT-IR results. By TEM and Scherrer equation, it was determined that Lu2O3 and Eu:Lu2O3 powders presented nearly spherical particle morphology with crystallites sizes in the range of 8 to 13nm. The antioxidant assays results revealed that europium ion enhance Lu2O3 powders antioxidant properties, showing that 12.5mol% of europium is sufficient to reach its maximum capacity.

Geometry and spatial orientation of a quadruple node of triple junctions in a europium-doped KI crystal as determined by epifluorescence microscopy.

The geometry and spatial orientation of a typical arrangement of four triple junctions and six grain boundaries sharing a common quadruple node in a Eu2+ -doped KI crystal are investigated by epifluorescence microscopy using the proper doping ion as a fluorochrome. To achieve this, an electronic three-dimensional reconstruction of the studied arrangement of crystal defects was built from microscopy images of different optical cross-sections of this arrangement. Previously, the doping ions were induced, by subjecting the crystal to a long annealing treatment, to form europium precipitates into the crystal grain boundaries. The optical properties of these precipitates were characterized by fluorescence spectrophotometry and used to tailor properly the microscope fluorescence mirror unit, whereas the single-crystal character of the microscope samples was tested by X-ray diffraction. By inspecting the reconstruction under handling, the dihedral angles between the grain boundaries that meet at a common triple junction as well as the angles between the triple junctions sharing the quadruple node were successfully measured at the quadruple node site. The measuring procedures are carefully described. The resulting values (132º, 109º, 119º, 125º, 111º, 124º, 124º, 111º, 125º, 129º, 109º and 122º ± 2º) for the dihedral angles depart for some few degrees from the characteristic angle (120º) of a 3-fold symmetry rotation, whereas the resulting values (104º, 111º, 117º, 103º, 100º and 121º ± 2º) for the triple junction angles are not far from the characteristic angle (109.47º) between the legs of a tetrahedron. These results, indicating that in the close neighbourhood of the quadruple node the studied arrangement of crystal defects deviates from a state of full structural stability, allow this arrangement to be fairly modelled in such a neighbourhood by a distorted tetrahedron. The angles between the studied triple junctions and the host lattice directions [11¯1], [111¯], [1¯11] and [1¯1¯1¯] were also measured at the quadruple node site, and the resulting values (8º, 7º, 6º and 8º ± 2º, respectively) indicate that a symmetry mismatching exists between the tetrahedral model of the studied Eu2+ -decorated arrangement of crystal defects and the KI matrix cubic crystal lattice. This symmetry mismatching is discussed to be responsible for the observed deviation from structural stability.

Fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy using Europium complexes improves atherosclerotic plaques discrimination.

The objective of this study is to characterize arterial tissue with and without atherosclerosis by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) using Europium Chlortetracycline complex (EuCTc) as fluorescent marker. For this study, twelve rabbits were randomly divided into a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG), where they were fed a normal and hypercholesterolemic diet, respectively, and were treated for 60 days. Cryosections of the aortic arch specimens were cut in a vertical plane, mounted on glass slides, and stained with Europium (Eu), Chlortetracycline (CTc), Europium Chlortetracycline (EuCTc), and Europium Chlortetracycline Magnesium (EuCTcMg) solutions. FLIM images were obtained with excitation at 405 nm. The average autofluorescence lifetime within plaque depositions was ~1.36 ns. Reduced plaque autofluorescence lifetimes of 0.23 and 0.31 ns were observed on incubation with EuCTc and EuCTcMg respectively. It was observed a quenching of collagen, cholesterol and TG emission spectra increasing EuCTc concentration. The drastic reduction in fluorescence lifetimes is due to a resonant energy transfer between collagen, triglycerides, cholesterol and europium complexes, quenching fluorescence.

Rapid and Energy-Saving Microwave-Assisted Solid-State Synthesis of Pr(3+)-, Eu(3+)-, or Tb(3+)-Doped Lu2O3 Persistent Luminescence Materials.

Persistent luminescence materials Lu2O3:R(3+),M (Pr,Hf(IV); Eu; or Tb,Ca(2+)) were successfully and rapidly (22 min) prepared by microwave-assisted solid-state synthesis (MASS) using a carbon microwave susceptor and H3BO3 as flux. Reaction times are reduced by up to 93% over previous synthetic methods, without special gases application and using a domestic microwave oven. All materials prepared with H3BO3 flux exhibit LuBO3 impurities that were quantified by Rietveld refinement from synchrotron radiation X-ray powder diffraction patterns. The flux does not considerably affect the crystalline structure of the C-Lu2O3, however. Scanning electron micrographs suggest low surface area when H3BO3 flux is used in the materials' synthesis, decreasing the amount of surface hydroxyl groups in Lu2O3 and improving the luminescence intensity of the phosphors. The carbon used as the susceptor generates CO gas, leading to complete reduction of Tb(IV) to Tb(3+) and partial conversion of Pr(IV) to Pr(3+) present in the Tb4O7 and Pr6O11 precursors, as indicated by X-ray absorption near-edge structure data. Persistent luminescence spectra of the materials show the red/near-IR, reddish orange, and green emission colors assigned to the 4f(n) → 4f(n) transitions characteristics of Pr(3+), Eu(3+), and Tb(3+) ions, respectively. Differences between the UV-excited and persistent luminescence spectra can be explained by the preferential persistent luminescence emission of R(3+) ion in the S6 site rather than R(3+) in the C2 site. In addition, inclusion of Hf(IV) and Ca(2+) codopants in the Lu2O3 host increases the emission intensity and duration of persistent luminescence due to generation of traps caused by charge compensation in the lattice. Photonic materials prepared by MASS with H3BO3 flux show higher persistent luminescence performance than those prepared by the ceramic method or MASS without flux. Color tuning of persistent luminescence in Lu2O3:R(3+),M provides potential applications in bioimaging as well as in solar cell sensitizers.