Discovering multifunctional luminescent materials to meet the demands of modern spectroscopy is of great significance. However, it is a standing challenge to enable multiple luminescence properties in a single material system via single metal ion doping. Here, we report the inherently Bi3+/Bi2+ codoped Ca3Ga2Ge3O12 persistent phosphor where Bi3+ is in situ reduced to Bi2+. This phosphor can act as an efficient multimodal luminescence material, which simultaneously exhibits long-lasting (>12 h) ultraviolet-B (UVB) and near-infrared (NIR) dual-band persistent luminescence after irradiation by 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) light. UVB and NIR afterglow are ascribed to the distinct Bi3+ and Bi2+ emitters, respectively, proven by comprehensive spectroscopic investigations including X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Besides, this phosphor also exhibits exceptional photochromic features, accompanied by a rapid body color transformation from white to brown in response to 254 nm UV light within 60 s and excellent recovery capacity upon thermal or blue/white light stimulation. The combination of UVB persistent luminescence of Bi3+ and NIR afterglow of Bi2+ coupled with reversible white-to-brown photochromism phenomenon offers one type of promising multifunctional luminescence material, showing potential to be used for optical storage and anti-counterfeiting applications.
Keywords: Bi2+; Bi3+; persistent luminescence; phosphor; photochromism.