Learning from Mineral Structures toward New Luminescence Materials for Light-Emitting Diode Applications

Understanding the structure–property relationship of inorganic solids has emerged as a prevailing strategy to provide guidelines for predicting and designing desired functional materials. Keeping an eye on the mineral structure-chemical composition–property paradigm, such structure-related design methodologies toward new luminescence materials for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) applications have been proposed, extensively utilized, and demonstrated potentials herein. In this review, we summarized several important design principles in the discovery of new inorganic phosphors by the following aspects: (1) constructing or evolving new phases toward novel phosphors from the existing natural mineral prototypes, and several mineral models have been discussed and exemplified by some phosphors; (2) modifying mineral structures via different substitution strategies based on known phosphors to tune the photoluminescence; (3) tuning local structures toward unprecedented emissions, including the state-of-the-art narrow-band emission and the near-infrared emission. Lastly, we discussed some future challenges and opportunities for mineral structure-related investigations in the hopes of directing the discovery and development of the new phosphor materials for LEDs applications.