UVB Persistent Luminescence of CaF₂:Gd³⁺ for Radiation Labeling and Tracing

Abstract Persistent luminescence (PersL) has attracted considerable attention in the last two decades for its potential applications in the fields of emergency indicators, energy‐saving lighting, biomedical imaging, and dynamic anti‐counterfeiting. However, the wavelengths of PersL reported so far usually fall into the visible and near‐infrared range. The preparation of advanced optical materials bearing UV PersL remains elusive. Here the PersL characteristic of CaF 2 :Gd 3+ is systematically studied. After exposure to X‐ray radiation, CaF 2 :Gd 3+ continues to emit UV­‐B (UVB) PersL peaking at 313 nm, corresponding to the 6 P 7/2 → 8 S 7/2 transition of Gd 3+ . By virtue of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, the valence variation model is excluded to explain the UVB PersL of CaF 2 :Gd 3+ . Finally, it is demonstrated that such UVB PersL of CaF 2 :Gd 3+ can be used for static labeling and dynamic tracing.