Thermoluminescence

Physics

Nanotechnology

Engineering physics

Phosphor

Astronomy

Mechanoluminescence

Luminescence

Gamma-ray burst

Inorganic chemistry

Nuclear physics

Chemistry

Metallurgy

Materials science

Afterglow

Aluminate

Cement

Dysprosium

Optoelectronics

Europium

Strontium

Persistent luminescence

Advanced Functional Materials

Glow‐in‐the‐dark materials have been around for a long time. While formerly materials had to be mixed with radioactive elements to achieve a sufficiently long and bright afterglow, these have now been replaced by much safer alternatives. Notably strontium aluminate, SrAl 2 O 4 , doped with europium and dysprosium, has been discovered over two decades ago and since then the phosphor has transcended its popular use in watch dials, safety signage, or toys with more niche applications such as stress sensing, photocatalysis, medical imaging, or flicker‐free light‐emitting diodes. A lot of research efforts are focused on further improving the storage capacity of SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ,Dy 3+ , including in nanosized particles, and on finding the underlying physical mechanism to fully explain the afterglow in this material and related compounds. Here an overview of the most important results from the research on SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ,Dy 3+ is presented and different models and the underlying physics are discussed to explain the trapping mechanism at play in these materials.

Persistent Luminescence in Strontium Aluminate: A Roadmap to a Brighter Future