Recent topics on circularly polarized luminescence generated by inorganic materials

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is an interesting phenomenon representing the unequal emission of left-handed and right-handed polarized light from an emitter. CPL is promising in chirality characterizations and various optical applications. Traditionally, research on CPL is centered on organic substances. In recent years, CPL present on inorganic ones has also become a nascent topic, which is significant to explore novel chirality- and luminescence-related properties and applications in inorganic materials. This minireview summarizes the recent progress on the following two aspects: 1) how to endow common inorganic luminophores with CPL activity; 2) how to use emerging chiral inorganic nanomaterials to design CPL-active systems. The general synthesis strategies, optical properties, applications and outlook of CPL-active inorganic materials are demonstrated.