Near‐Infrared Luminescent Materials Incorporating Rare Earth/Transition Metal Ions: From Materials to Applications

Abstract The spotlight has shifted to near‐infrared (NIR) luminescent materials emitting beyond 1000 nm, with growing interest due to their unique characteristics. The ability of NIR‐II emission (1000–1700 nm) to penetrate deeply and transmit independently positions these NIR luminescent materials for applications in optical‐communication devices, bioimaging, and photodetectors. The combination of rare earth metals/transition metals with a variety of matrix materials provides a new platform for creating new chemical and physical properties for materials science and device applications. In this review, the recent advancements in NIR emission activated by rare earth and transition metal ions are summarized and their role in applications spanning bioimaging, sensing, and optoelectronics is illustrated. It started with various synthesis techniques and explored how rare earths/transition metals can be skillfully incorporated into various matrixes, thereby endowing them with unique characteristics. The discussion to strategies of enhancing excitation absorption and emission efficiency, spotlighting innovations like dye sensitization and surface plasmon resonance effects is then extended. Subsequently, a significant focus is placed on functionalization strategies and their applications. Finally, a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and proposed strategies for rare earth/transition metal ion‐doped near‐infrared luminescent materials, summarizing the insights of each section is provided.