Synergetic effect of rigidity and energy transfer enhancing imaging/lighting performance of telluroborate phosphor

High-performance phosphors are urgently required owing to their extensive utilization. However, challenges, such as poor contrast in forensic imaging and low thermostability in lighting, persist. To address these issues, we introduced thermally stable Dy 3 + /Eu 3+ -doped Na 2 Lu 2 TeO 4 (BO 3 ) 2 (NLTBO:Dy 3+ and NLTBO:Dy 3+ ,Eu 3+ ) phosphors that exhibit promising multifunctionality for high-contrast fingerprint imaging and high-performance white lighting. The observed performance arises from the synergistic contribution of the host rigidity and efficient energy transfer. NLTBO:Dy 3+ ,Eu 3+ retained 93 % and 90 % of its emission intensity at 423 and 473 K, respectively. The assembled lighting source delivered bright white light with coordinates (0.3155, 0.3372) and a high color rendering index (CRI) of 92. Meanwhile, the material demonstrates excellent adhesion to various surfaces (paper, glass, and polymer), enabling high-contrast latent fingerprint imaging. In addition, the phosphor enables advanced fingerprint reconstruction and digital trace recovery on touchscreens, underscoring its dual imaging/lighting potential. Dy 3+ /Eu 3+ -doped Na 2 Lu 2 TeO 4 (BO 3 ) 2 phosphors exhibit high rigidity ( Θ D = 609.3 K) and efficient Dy 3+ →Eu 3+ energy transfer, resulting in excellent thermal stability (93 % emission retention at 423 K) and bright white-light output with a CRI of 92. Beyond lighting, it enables multi-surface high-contrast fingerprint imaging with 3D reconstruction ( C RMS = 95.3) and touchscreen trace recovery, thereby confirming its multifunctional potential. • Novel Dy 3+ /Eu 3+ co-doped Na 2 Lu 2 TeO 4 (BO 3 ) 2 show high rigidity ( Θ D = 609.3 K) and excellent thermostability (93 %@423 K). • Efficient Dy 3+ →Eu 3+ energy transfer enables tunable yellow-to-red emission, yielding high-performance w-LEDs with a CRI of 92. • Strong visible luminescence and multi-surface adhesion enable high-contrast fingerprint and touchscreen trace imaging.