The photoluminescence origin of self-activated tungstates and molybdates

Tungstates and molybdates have received extensive attention because of their particular luminescent properties and wide applications. In this paper, we briefly introduce self-activated photoluminescence materials, and then focus on the luminescence origins of tungstates and molybdates. Their luminescence is mainly originated from charge transfer transition, defect recombination, and exciton emission. In addition to matrix luminescence, energy transfer among host, activator, and sensitizer is essential to obtain multicolor emission and higher luminous intensity. Understanding the nature of luminescence can guide the search for a novel self-activated luminescence host and help achieve effective doping for the purpose of gaining high-efficiency luminescence.