Advances in rare-earth-doped ternary metal oxides based phosphors: Synthesis, properties, and applications

Scientific advancements have led to unprecedented research and development of luminous materials. Among these, phosphor materials have emerged as highly efficient optoelectronic materials in the current century due to their advantageous characteristics, such as energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and versatile applications. Phosphor materials are widely used across various technological sectors, particularly for energy-saving solutions. Extensive research efforts have focused on inorganic phosphor materials in response to the growing demand for light sources with low voltage requirements, extended lifetime, reduced energy usage, and good luminous efficiency. This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the studies on rare-earth-doped MRE₂ZnO₅-based oxide phosphors. The review introduces these materials' fundamental characteristics and properties, followed by a general overview of the synthesis approaches employed. It then provides the tetragonal and orthorhombic structures identified among the five distinct crystal structures. The subsequent sections explore the impact and usability of various rare-earth dopants in MRE₂ZnO₅ phosphors and their applications in lighting, latent fingerprinting, and anticounterfeiting. Finally, the article concludes with an exclusive discussion of the key findings, future perspectives, and potential directions for further research in this field.