Lanthanide luminescent materials have gradually become indispensable in a wealth of applications, including phosphors for lighting and displays, security inks and tags, lasers, optical fibers, night vision, photocatalysis, bioprobes, nanoscopy, and light-activated drug delivery. In this short review, we describe the basic properties of lanthanide luminescence, highlight major current applications, and discuss the growing trend of embedding luminescent lanthanide ions into nanostructures, which not only enhances their emissive properties but also, and quite importantly, unlocks a whole (nano)world of new applications.

中文翻译：

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镧系光子学：塑造纳米世界

镧系元素发光材料已逐渐在许多应用中不可或缺，包括照明和显示器的磷光体，安全油墨和标签，激光，光纤，夜视，光催化，生物探针，纳米显微镜和光敏药物递送。在这篇简短的综述中，我们描述了镧系元素发光的基本特性，重点介绍了当前的主要应用，并讨论了将发光镧系元素离子嵌入纳米结构的增长趋势，这不仅增强了它们的发射性能，而且非常重要的是将整个结构解锁了（纳米世界的新应用。