With the rapid development of night vision surveillance, biomedical imaging, and industrial non-destructive testing, the demand for high-performance NIR light sources has been steadily increasing. However, conventional NIR-emitting materials often suffer from limitations such as narrow emission bands, poor stability, and complex fabrication processes, which significantly hinder their practical applications. Therefore, developing NIR materials with broad emission bandwidths, high stability, and easy integration has become a critical research goal.
Recently, a research team from Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made significant progress in the development of novel tellurium (Te) cluster-doped near-infrared (NIR) luminescent borate glass materials. In this study, researchers successfully induced the formation of Te clusters in borate glass under a reducing atmosphere, achieving ultra-broadband NIR emission covering the 600–1400 nm range. The luminescence properties were thoroughly investigated by tuning the glass matrix composition and TeO₂ doping concentration. The results revealed that the emission is highly sensitive to both temperature and excitation wavelength, demonstrating excellent spectral tunability.
From an application perspective, the team integrated the Te-doped glass with a commercial 460 nm blue LED to fabricate a glass-converted LED (gc-LED) device. The prototype demonstrated promising performance in night vision imaging, non-destructive testing, and biological tissue visualization under dark conditions.
This research not only provides a theoretical foundation and technical pathway for the development of stable, efficient, and broadband NIR-emissive glass materials but also lays a solid material basis for the practical implementation of gc-LEDs in fields such as medical diagnostics and security monitoring.
 

  Figure. (a) Image of the 0.2Te glass sample used in the NIR gc-LED device; (b) schematic of the operation of the assembled NIR gc-LED device in NIR imaging; (c–e) visible images of the lucky bamboo, TeO2 reagent bottle, and human hand; (f, g, i) NIR images of the lucky bamboo, TeO2 reagent bottle, and human hand under the NIR gc-LED device illumination; (h) NIR image of the reagent bottle under blue light excitation.

  
Article website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2025.121314
Contact: SHAO Chongyun  
Advanced Laser and Optoelectronic Functional Materials Department,  
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences  
Email: shaochongyun@siom.ac.cn