A brief review: the application of long afterglow luminescent materials in environmental remediation

Long afterglow luminescent (LAL) materials can release their stored light after turning off the light irradiating on them. Because of this unique characteristic, the coupling of LAL materials and conventional semiconductors is an environmental-friendly method for supporting photocatalytic activity for environmental remediation. Currently, the exploration of “afterglow-catalysis” materials for the fabrication of around-the-clock photocatalytic systems is still in its infancy. Accordingly, herein, we summarize the application of LAL materials in photocatalytic environmental remediation and energy crisis alleviation to stimulate further motivation for the development of novel LAL materials. By discussing the works in the last five years on novel LAL materials, we anticipate the development of new materials, i.e., “afterglow-catalysis” composites, to realize waste-to-energy, even achieving industrialization.