Interaction of Cr(3+) with valence and conduction bands in the long persistent phosphor ZnGa2O4:Cr(3+), studied by ENDOR spectroscopy.

Cr(3+)-doped zinc gallate ZnGa2O4 is a red-near infrared (IR) long persistent phosphor that can be excited by orange-red light, in the transparency window of living tissues. With this property, persistent luminescence nanoparticles were recently used for in vivo optical imaging of tumors in mice. In order to understand the origin of the excitability of persistent luminescence by visible light in this material, a Q-band ENDOR investigation of (71/69)Ga and (53)Cr nuclei was performed in ZnGa2O4:Cr(3+) to get information on the interaction of Cr(3+) with valence and conduction bands. The positive electron spin density at Ga nuclei revealed a dominant interaction of the (4)A2 ground state of Cr(3+) with the valence band, and a weaker interaction with the conduction band. The latter may occur only in the excited (2)E and (4)T2 states of Cr(3+). It is proposed that when these two interactions are present, pairs of electrons and holes can be generated from excited Cr(3+) in distorted sites undergoing local electric field produced by neighboring defects with opposite charges.