Persistent Luminescence Performance Research Articles

Dual-mode luminous and afterglow Ca3Al2Ge3O12:Yb3+, Er3+ phosphors for anti-counterfeiting and fingerprint verification

Generally, traditional anti-counterfeiting fluorescent materials usually show a single peak under single wavelength excitation, which cannot meet the security of authentication information. Therefore, the simultaneous realization of multicolor, multiexcitation and multimodal luminescence properties remains a fascinating goal, especially in a single host. In this work, the sustained luminescent materials Ca3Al2Ge3O12:Yb3+, Er3+ (CAG:Yb3+, Er3+) were obtained, which can exhibit bright red and green luminescence with Er3+ ions under the 490 nm and near-infrared (980 nm) light excitation. The red emission dominates under the 980 nm laser irradiation, and the sample showed excellent photoluminescence (PL) and persistent luminescence (PersL) performance under the 490 nm irradiation, and the afterglow can exceed 6h. The up-conversion mechanism and emission properties of the phosphors were analytically studied, and some fluorescence-safe anti-counterfeiting patterns and multifunctional latent fingerprint (LFP) afterglow time imaging were designed as potential applications for anti-counterfeiting aspects and information storage.

Tunable ultralong multicolor and near-infrared emission from polyacrylic acid-based room temperature phosphorescence materials by FRET

Polymer-based room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials have received significant attention for their potential application in various fields. However, the development of polymer-based RTP materials with persistent multicolor and near-infrared (NIR) emission still faces great challenges. Herein, 4-carboxyphenylboronic acid (CPBA) is facilely doped into polyacrylic acid (PAA) matrix to construct an ultralong RTP material PAA-CPBA, which is the better candidate of energy donor owing to the wide phosphorescence emission band. Two commercial fluorescent dyes rhodamine B (RhB) and fluorescein (FL) are selected as energy acceptors to prepared ternary systems PAA-CPBA-RhB and PAA-CPBA-FL, and tunable multicolor afterglow from blue to red and yellow is realized through phosphorescence Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). More interestingly, the quaternary doping system PAA-CPBA-RhB-FL exhibits a nearly white afterglow emission. Significantly, a commercial NIR dye Nile blue (NiB) is used to fabricate the other quaternary doping systems PAA-CPBA-RhB-NiB, and persistent luminescence in NIR region is successfully achieved via stepwise FRET using RhB as an intermediate acceptor. Furthermore, due to the different persistent luminescence performance, the multicolor PAA-based RTP materials are successfully applied in multiple information encryption and multicolor displays.

Polychromatic long persistent luminescence of CaAlSiN3:Ln (Ln=Eu, Ce, Dy, Pr, Tb, Gd, Sm, Tm, Nd) phosphors prepared by combustion synthesis

Although the phosphors based on CaAlSiN3 (e.g. CaAlSiN3:Eu2+, CaAlSiN3:Ce3+) have been extensively studied in phosphor-converted white light emitting diodes (w-LEDs) due to its outstanding luminescent properties, there have been rare literatures on the persistent luminescence of CaAlSiN3 except for the red afterglow emission of CaAlSiN3:Eu2+. In our work, a series of CaAlSiN3:Ln (Ln=Eu, Ce, Dy, Pr, Tb, Gd, Sm, Tm, Nd) phosphors have been successfully prepared by combustion synthesis and their polychromatic visible afterglow emissions were observed. The long persistent luminescent properties of the phosphors were studied systematically, among which, CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ and CaAlSiN3:Ce3+ show the best red and yellow long persistent luminescence with persistent time of 4980 s and 4860 s at the 0.32 mcd/m2 threshold value, respectively, and other phosphors show relatively weak persistent luminescence performance with other afterglow emission colors. Moreover, Eu2+, Ce3+ co-doped CaAlSiN3 were synthesized to enhance the red long persistent luminescence performance, whose persistent time has reached 6300 s due to a more appropriate trap depth distribution of 0.83–0.9 eV compared with Eu2+ and Ce3+ singly doped CaAlSiN3. We believe that this work is of significance for extending the studies of CaAlSiN3 system to a host material for polychromatic long persistent luminescence.

Achieving Persistent Luminescence Performance Based on the Cation-Tunable Trap Distribution.

Deep-red persistent luminescence (PersL) materials have promising applications in fluorescence labeling and tracking. PersL spectral range and PersL duration are considered to be the key factors driving the development of high-performance deep-red PersL materials. To address these two key issues, the performance of PersL materials was continually optimized by doping with cations (Si4+ and Al3+ ions), relying on the material of Li2ZnGe3O8:Cr3+ from the previous work of our group, and a 4.8-fold increase in PersL radiation spectrum intensity and more than twice the PersL duration was achieved (PersL duration up to 47 h). Ultimately, the obtained PersL materials are used to demonstrate their potential use in multi-level anti-counterfeiting, tracking and localization, respectively. This study provides a unique and novel entry point for achieving high-performance PersL materials by optimizing the PersL material host to modulate the electronic structure.

Optimization of persistent luminescence performance of zinc gallogermanates

X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, combined with instrumental analysis, have been employed to identify and characterize the physical differences between Zn3Ga2GeO8 (ZGGO-s, s as in stoichiometric) and Zn3Ga2Ge2O10 (ZGGO-e, e as in excess) solid solutions. The two materials differ in the addition of GeO2 (in the case of the ZGGO-e sample) to the solid solution of ZnGa2O4 and Zn2GeO4. The optimum sintering temperature for these materials is 1000 °C. The photoluminescence spectra comprise a broad feature between 400 and 600 nm which is slightly red-shifted in the case of ZGGO-e. Notably, ZGGO-e exhibits superior performance for both the intensity and duration of persistent luminescence at room temperature, with emission maximum at 515–517 nm. The performance of the chromium-doped sample, with persistent luminescence emission at 697 nm, is also superior for ZGGO-e. The reasons behind such a significant enhancement of persistent luminescence performance for ZGGO-e sample were investigated in this paper. We have found out that long persistent luminescence in both samples is governed by trap depth distributions. In the case of ZGGO-e, the addition of GeO2 promotes the formation of deeper traps changing the shape of the resulting trap distribution and hence improving the room temperature persistent luminescence of this compound.

Low-energy visible light excitable Bi2+-activated near-infrared persistent phosphors for information encryption application

Near-infrared (NIR, 700–900 nm) emissive persistent phosphors have been given substantial attention in the past decade due to their bright future for many advanced applications from night vision surveillance to biomedical imaging. Here, we report the intense NIR persistent luminescence from a series of Bi2+-activated persistent luminescence materials achieved by the cation disorder strategy in CaSnO3 host. Taking Ca0.95(Na,Gd)0.025SnO3:Bi2+ as an example, it exhibits long-lasting NIR afterglow with a peak maximum at 805 nm assigned to the 2P3/2(1)→2P1/2 transition of Bi2+ and a long persistence time of more than 24 h after the ceasing of external excitation. More importantly, NIR self-sustained luminescence can be triggered by wideband irradiation with ultraviolet to visible light over 230–550 nm. As expected, 365 nm UV lamp, natural sunlight and LED flash can all effectively charge these NIR persistent phosphors and induce commendable NIR persistent luminescence performance. Considering the invisibility of NIR emission to the naked eye, very broad persistent luminescence excitation band, and long-lasting NIR luminescence after excitation, these Bi2+-activated NIR persistent phosphors are expected to find important applications in optical information storage and anti-counterfeiting fields.

Cr3+/Y3+ co-doped persistent luminescence nanoparticles with biological window activation for in vivo repeatable imaging

The near-infrared (NIR) persistent luminescence materials (PLMs) can remain long-lasting luminescence after removal of the excitation light, which permits bioimaging with high sensitivity owing to the absence of background fluorescence interference from in situ excitation. Recently, the NIR PLMs have aroused intensive research interest in bioimaging. However, the optimal excitation wavelength of current NIR PLMs is located in the ultraviolet region with shallow tissue penetration, making it difficult to activate effectively in vivo, and seriously hindering their further application in bioimaging. Herein, we report a novel kind of Cr3+ ions and Y3+ ions co-doped NIR PLM, Zn1.3Ga1.4Sn0.3O4:Cr3+,Y3+ (ZGSCY), which emits NIR persistent luminescence at 696 nm. Compared with Zn1.3Ga1.4Sn0.3O4:Cr3+ (ZGSC) excited by the light with a wavelength in the biological window (>650 nm), after being co-doped with Y3+ ions, the NIR persistent luminescence performance of ZGSCY is significantly improved because of the increase of trap concentration in the matrix. In addition, we synthesized ZGSCY nanoparticles (NPs) by the combustion method, which exhibit excellent optical properties after being excited by the light with a wavelength in the biological window. After surface modification with PEG, the ZGSCY NPs present low cytotoxicity. Notably, due to the co-doping of Y3+ ions, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ZGSCY NPs in vivo imaging is about 1.8 times higher than that of the ZGSC NPs. Furthermore, the rechargeable in vivo imaging and passive tumor-targeted imaging are successfully achieved by activating with a light-emitting diode (LED, 659 nm) after intravenous injection of ZGSCY. Thus, this kind of NIR PLM with high excitation efficiency performance in the biological window is expected to promote its biomedical application in deep tissues.

Enhancing Rechargeable Persistent Luminescence via Organic Dye Sensitization.

Owing to their unique afterglow ability, long-wavelength light activatable persistent luminescence (PersL) nanoparticles (PLNPs) have been emerging as an important category of imaging probes. Long-wavelength LED light has been shown to be effective in recharging these nanoparticles. However, finding a simple and effective method to amplify such renewable PersL signals under long-wavelength light is still a key challenge. Herein, we discovered that a dye-sensitization strategy was able to effectively boost the renewable PersL signals of the NIR emitting ZnGa2 O4 :Cr3+ (ZGC)) under long-wavelength LED light. Moreover, as a proof-of-principle tumorectomy demonstration, this new class of dye sensitized ZGC enabled simultaneous intraoperative anatomic tumor navigation and effective microscopic detection of tumor cells in pathological diagnosis.

Development of White Persistent Phosphors by Manipulating Lanthanide Ions in Gadolinium Gallium Garnets

Lanthanide ions act as excellent luminescence centers and good charge carrier traps. By selecting proper lanthanide ions, persistent phosphors with the desired luminescent color can be developed. In addition, an appropriate host material can give not only better persistent luminescence performance but also an additional function. Herein, bright white persistent phosphors of Pr3+–Tb3+–Eu3+ tridoped paramagnetic Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG) are successfully developed. The GGG phosphors singly doped with Pr3+, Tb3+, and Eu3+ show reddish‐white (3PJ–3HJ), blue (5DJ–7FJ), and red (5D0–7FJ) photoluminescence, respectively, by UV excitation. On the other hand, the GGG samples codoped with Pr3+–Eu3+ and with Tb3+–Eu3+ show only Pr3+ reddish‐white persistent luminescence and Tb3+ blue persistent luminescence, respectively. Based on the thermoluminescence glow curves, it is found that the Eu3+ ion acts only as an electron trap in the persistent luminescence mechanism and the trapped electrons are released at around 325 K. The cool‐white persistent luminescence is achieved by combining Pr3+ and Tb3+ persistent luminescence centers in the GGG:Pr3+–Tb3+–Eu3+ phosphors. It is demonstrated that the white persistent phosphor powder in water can be dragged around by a permanent magnet due to the paramagnetic property of GGG.

Multiple emission bands NIR-persistent luminescence mSiO2@Zn0.6Ca0.4Ga2O4:Cr3+,Yb3+ nanoparticles for biological applications.

Persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) emitting in the NIR window (700-1700 nm) have shown great promise in the field of fluorescence imaging due to their unique properties, including the absence of in situ excitation and low optical scattering in tissues. However, they are still facing some challenges, such as irregular shape, wide size distribution and poor persistent luminescence performance. Here, we report a facile mesoporous template method for synthesizing mSiO2@Zn0.6Ca0.4Ga2O4:Cr3+,Yb3+ (mSiO2@ZCGO) persistent luminescent nanoparticles, which show a regular morphology and a size of about 69 nm. In addition, these nanocrystals exhibit persistent luminescence in multi-NIR windows, the first infrared window (∼696 nm of Cr3+ emission) and second infrared window (∼1000 nm of Yb3+ emission). Under illumination of a 254 nm UV lamp for 10 min, the persistent time of Cr3+ ions and Yb3+ ions lasted more than 120 min and 10 min, respectively. In particular, the NIR persistent emission of mSiO2@ZCGO could be stimulated by soft X-ray, which is beneficial to long-term imaging in deep tissues. The optical penetration length of Yb3+ ions persistent luminescence was evaluated to be 2.8 mm. These results demonstrate the great promise of mSiO2@ZCGO for deep-tissue bio-imaging.

Low-dose X-ray-stimulated LaGaO3:Sb,Cr near-infrared persistent luminescence nanoparticles for deep-tissue and renewable in vivo bioimaging

X-ray-stimulated near-infrared persistent luminescence nanoparticles (NIR-PLNPs) offer attractive capabilities for autofluorescence free deep-seated imaging and depth-independent treatment, but still suffer from adverse effects caused by high-dose X-ray irradiation (>5 Gy). From the viewpoint of two centers of NIR-PLNPs, i.e., X-ray photon absorption center and defects center, we here propose a top-down composition design strategy for the development of low dose X-ray-stimulated NIR-PLNPs with improved X-ray photon absorption efficiency and optimized persistent luminescence (PersL) performance. Successfully, hypersensitive X-ray-stimulated NIR-PLNPs LaGaO3:Sb3+,Cr3+ with a super-long PersL emission (>500 h) at ∼750 nm are prepared. The nature of high Z atomic constituents of the host LaGaO3 endows these NIR-PLNPs with strong X-ray absorption capacity. Simply by codoping with size-mismatched ions Sb3+, the concentration of oxygen vacancies in the host is rationally optimized, leading to the enhanced NIR PersL performance of Cr3+ ions. In vivo bioimaging demonstrates that the designed X-ray-stimulated NIR-PLNPs LaGaO3:Sb3+,Cr3+ can be readily reactivated under X-ray irradiation with even a lower dose to 0.37 Gy, showing the advantages of these nanoparticles on deep-seated imaging and treatment. More importantly, we anticipate that our proposed top-down composition design strategy can be applied to develop much low dose X-ray-stimulated NIR-PLNPs in the future.

Temperature Dependency of Trap‐Controlled Persistent Luminescence

AbstractPhosphors featuring persistent luminescence, as distinctive photonic materials, have been explored extensively owing to their unusual properties and commercial interest as self‐sustained emitters in night‐vision surveillance, emergency signage, optical data storage, and in vivo bio‐imaging. However, widespread utilization of persistent phosphors at various outdoor conditions remains a formidable challenge due to the dependence of persistent luminescence performance on the environmental temperature. Here, the relation between the optimum working temperature and thermoluminescence (TL) glow curve is revealed with different TL read‐out approaches. Notably, the optimum working temperature, Toptimum, is proved to be an intrinsic parameter of a persistent phosphor, irrelevant to the TL heating rate. Temperature dependency of trap filling and releasing processes, demonstrated on a benchmark persistent phosphor with multiple trap occupation levels, is investigated to shed more light on temperature‐dependent, trap‐controlled persistent luminescence. This work presents new perspectives on their wide applications in terms of designing and screening persistent phosphors for various ambient conditions, and beyond.

A New Near‐Infrared Long Persistent Luminescence Material with Its Outstanding Persistent Luminescence Performance and Promising Multifunctional Application Prospects

AbstractIn this work, a novel near‐infrared (NIR) persistent luminescence (PersL) material Na2CaGe5SiO14 (NCGSO):Cr3+ is designed and prepared. The phase composition and crystal structure are analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld structural refinement. The band gap of NCGSO is calculated to be 4.245 eV by density functional theory (DFT) and confirmed by diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS). It is determined by the photoluminescence (PL) spectra, X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy (XANES), and time‐resolved emission spectra (TRES) that three Ge4+ sites can be superseded simultaneously when Cr3+ ions are doped. In addition, the PL, photoluminescence excitation (PLE), and PersL performance are analyzed systematically. Under the radiation of 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) lamp, the samples exhibit excellent PL and PersL performance in the range of 600–900 nm, and the optimal afterglow duration lasts for more than 10 h. According to results, a possible mechanism is proposed to explain the PersL phenomenon. In the end, a set of information encrypted digital labels is designed and biological tissue penetration experiments are performed. The results reveal the potential of NCGSO:Cr3+ for information encryption and biological imaging applications.

Pressure-induced variation of persistent luminescence characteristics in Y3Al5-xGaxO12:Ce3+-M3+ (M = Yb, and Cr) phosphors: opposite trend of trap depth for 4f and 3d metal ions.

Changing the electronic structure of materials by pressure and the accompanying changes in optical properties have attracted scientific interest. We have reported that the energy position of the conduction band (CB) bottom and the crystal field splitting of the Ce3+:5d excited level in Y3Al5-xGaxO12:Ce3+ are changed by applying pressure, which results in the red shifting of the Ce3+:5d → 4f luminescence and the increase of the quenching temperature. We also reported dramatic improvement of the persistent luminescence performance by either Cr3+ or Yb3+ codoping into the Y3Al5-xGaxO12:Ce3+ phosphors. The different trap depths formed by Cr3+ and Yb3+ affect the initial persistent luminescence intensity and the persistent luminescence duration. In this study, the effect of pressure on the persistent luminescence performance was investigated. For the Y3AlGa4O12:Ce3+-Yb3+ phosphor, the slope of persistent luminescence decay curve becomes more gentle with increasing pressure, while for the Y3AlGa4O12:Ce3+-Cr3+ phosphor the slope becomes steeper. These results indicate that the trap depth of Yb3+ becomes deeper and that of Cr3+ becomes shallower with increasing pressure. Based on the pressure-dependence of the luminescence quenching and the trap depth change estimated from the decay slopes, the relative electronic energies of the CB bottom and the Yb2+ (4f14) or Cr2+ (3d4) levels are discussed. The CB bottom energy is increased relative to the ground 1S0 state of Yb2+ with increasing pressure, which results in deepening of the electron trap depth of the Yb2+ state. The opposite tendency of the Cr3+ codoped sample was described by a decreasing tendency of the energy gap between the CB bottom and the Cr2+:eg level, the relative energy level of which is increased by the increase of the crystal field with increasing pressure in the garnet host material, where the electron-trapping Cr2+ ions take the high spin state (t32ge1g) rather than the low-spin state (t42g).

New viewpoint about the persistent luminescence mechanism of Mn2+/Eu3+ co-doped Zn2GeO4

In this work, Mn[Formula: see text]Eu[Formula: see text] co-doped Zn2GeO4 (Zn2GeO4:Mn[Formula: see text] was prepared by high-temperature solid phase method. Compared with common fluorescent materials Zn2GeO4:Mn[Formula: see text], Zn2GeO4:Mn[Formula: see text] could not only emit strong green fluorescence of 535 nm, but also maintain excellent persistent luminescence performance. Through Density Functional Theory calculation, we obtained the fine band structure of Zn2GeO4:Mn[Formula: see text]. The results of the band structure were consistent with the experimental spectral data. On this basis, we proposed a new luminescence mechanism model of Zn2GeO4:Mn[Formula: see text] to explain the phenomena observed in experiment reasonably, though which was not completely consistent with previous works. When Zn2GeO4:Mn[Formula: see text] was excited, electron–hole separation occurred in the valence band (VB), and the electron transitioned to the conduction band (CB) directly. Through CB, the electron was trapped by trap levels (7F[Formula: see text]F5 of Eu[Formula: see text] and maintained metastable for a long time. Under the action of thermal stimulation, electron returned to CB from the trap level slowly. The electron was captured again by the 4T2(D) level of Mn[Formula: see text]. Then the electron transitioned down toward VB and recombined with the previous hole and emitted a photon with 535 nm (afterglow). The samples were being irradiated, trap levels accommodated the excited electrons to saturation. More electrons excited into the CB could not be captured by the trap levels any more. They were captured directly by the 4T2(D) and transitioned directly to VB, then emitted green fluorescence.

PH-Driven Targeting Nanoprobe with Dual-Responsive Drug Release for Persistent Luminescence Imaging and Chemotherapy of Tumor.

Multifunctional nanoprobes with both imaging and drug delivery capabilities represent an emerging approach to the diagnosis and treatment of tumor. However, poor accumulation in tumor cells and low drug availability are the main limitations for their further application. Here we show a pH-driven targeting nanoprobe with dual-responsive drug release for persistent luminescence imaging and chemotherapy of tumor. The nanoprobe is constructed by conjugating the pH-low-insertion-peptide (pHLIP) to the surface of the core-shell structure of mesoporous silica-coated persistent luminescence nanoparticles (MSPLNPs) with the peptide GFLG and disulfide bond as bridges. The pHLIP functionalized nanoprobe exhibits higher cellular uptake for A549 and HepG2 cells in an acidic extracellular microenvironment (pH < 6.5) than in normal physiological condition (pH 7.4). The nanoprobe possesses well-defined NIR persistent luminescence performance and can be effectively accumulated in the tumor site, leading to the visual HepG2 tumor target imaging without autofluorescence interference. Furthermore, the nanoprobe realizes the dual-responsive release of doxorubicin loaded in the mesoporous channels in systems containing cathepsin B and glutathione, and can effectively kill tumor cells and inhibit the growth of tumor. This integrated nanoprobe possesses great potential for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors with high specificity and efficiency.

Plasma effect：A simple method for improving the persistent luminescence and light response range of persistent luminescent materials

The persistent luminescent materials are important energy-saving and environmentally friendly materials used in wide application range, but the application scale is relatively small. In order to overcome the problems of narrow light response range and low persistent luminescence performance, the Ag/Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,Dy3+ structure was firstly shaped by a photoreduction deposition method. The persistent luminescence performance and the photo response range are greatly improved via the plasmon resonance after the deposition of Ag on the surface of Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,Dy3+. The initial brightness can be increased by a factor of 9, while the range and intensity of absorbed light are greatly changed, indicating that the plasmon resonance of Ag can be applied to persistent luminescent material, which can efficiently increase the number of photogenerated electrons and holes which will be captured and released, thereby effectively improving the afterglow performance. The influence mechanism of Ag on the generation of photogenerated electrons and holes, the number and depth of traps, and the transfer-capture-release-luminescence mechanism of photogenerated electrons and holes, namely the persistent luminescence enhancement mechanism, are revealed. The development of this research can promote the application of Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,Dy3+, and meanwhile provide an effective method for improving the persistent luminescence of various persistent luminescent materials.

Modifying the Electronic Trap Distribution in Ba2Zr2Si3O12:Eu2+,Nd3+ via Regulating the Composition of Matrix Elements

The appropriate electronic traps and energy gaps between the bottom of the conduction band (CB) and the excited state of the luminescence center are crucial factors for excellent persistent luminescence (PersL) performance. In this article, the possibilities of regulating electronic traps and the energy gap mentioned above are investigated via partial substitution of the host lattice cation Zr4+ by Hf4+. A comprehensive study on the structural transformation, luminescent properties, and PersL decay curves was carried out to unearth the influence of partially substituting Zr4+ ions by Hf4+ ions. The broader band gap was revealed by diffuse reflectance spectra and density functional theory calculations, which ascribed to the relatively higher energy levels of the Hf 5d state compared with those of the Zr 4d state, whereas the thermoluminescence spectra showed a successive red shift because of the broader band gap and the deeper trap depth from the bottom of the CB to the trap energy levels. Guided by regulating the composition of matrix elements through partially substituting Zr4+ ions by Hf4+ ions, the band gap is modified from 5.12 to 5.46 eV and the trap depth varies from 0.66 to 0.75 eV, and the PersL decay time is extended from 25 to 31 h above the recognizable intensity level (≥0.32 mcd/m2).

Green persistent luminescence and the electronic structure of β-Sialon:Eu2+

The persistent luminescence performance and electronic structure of β-Sialon:Eu2+ are first reported. A novel strategy to construct the host referred binding energy schemes is proposed.

Enhanced persistent luminescence of LiGa5O8:Cr3+ near-infrared phosphors by codoping Sn4+

The near-infrared (NIR) long persistent phosphors LiGa5O8:Cr3+ have attracted considerable attention owing to the potential applications in medical imaging. A series of novel LiGa5O8:Cr3+ phosphors with different Sn4+ concentrations were successfully prepared by a high temperature solid-state reaction. The influence of codoping Sn4+ on photoluminescence, long persistent luminescence and thermoluminescence properties were systematically investigated. The results showed the persistent luminescence performance of phosphors was significantly enhanced after the incorporation of Sn4+ ions. Thermoluminescence spectra indicated that the incorporation of Sn4+ contributes to the formation of defects and increase the traps density, thus improving the persistent luminescence properties of LiGa5O8:Cr3+ phosphors.