Thermally Robust and Strongly Pressure-Responsive NIR Luminescent Manometer Based on Cr3+-Ni2+ Emission
The increasing demand for highly sensitive luminescent manometers capable of precise pressure determination, particularly those operating in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range, motivates the continuous search for new pressure-responsive luminescent materials. In this work, we introduce NaLu2Ga3Ge2O12:Cr3+, Ni2+ as a highly sensitive NIR luminescent manometer in which pressure not only induces pronounced spectral shifts of the Cr3+ and Ni2+ emission bands but also strongly modulates their relative luminescence intensities. Remarkably, the 3T2(3F)->3A2(3F) emission band of Ni2+ exhibits a record-high absolute pressure sensitivity of SA = 34 nm GPa-1. Furthermore, by appropriately selecting narrow spectral ranges within the pressure-responsive emission bands, a ratiometric NIR luminescent manometer was developed, providing a maximum relative pressure sensitivity of SR = 158% GPa-1. Most importantly, the proposed ratiometric readout exhibits a thermal-invariance manometric factor (TIMF) of 19,900 K GPa-1, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest value reported to date for a luminescent manometer. The combination of exceptionally high-pressure sensitivity, NIR operation, and remarkable resistance to thermal interference establishes NaLu2Ga3Ge2O12:Cr3+, Ni2+ as a highly promising luminescent pressure sensor for reliable pressure determination under conditions involving simultaneous temperature variations.