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Sub-nanosecond luminescence of Mn2+ in Mn-, Sn/Mn-, and Cu/Mn-doped Li2B4O7 ceramics is observed under laser excitation. Picosecond pulsed laser radiation (350–370 nm) generates the frequency-doubled radiation directly in a single microcrystal selected in a ceramic sample, with this secondary radiation falling within the impurity-induced VUV excitation bands of doped Li2B4O7. These excitation bands are attributed to the creation of an impurity-bound intra-anionic exciton in MeiO4–BO3–MnLi complex centres (Mei = Mn, Sn, or Cu). The exciton, in turn, interacts with a nearby Mn2+ ion due to mixing of the Mn2+ excited states with the excitonic states. Exciton annihilation involves Mn2+ energy levels as transient states and causes a sub-nanosecond radiative transition which is accelerated, being accompanied by rearrangement of the surrounding atoms. Excitation within the lower-energy bands is related to the other part of the complex luminescence centre, this is metal-to-ligand intra-anionic charge transfer, which makes an electron accessible to MnLi, while the hole is transferred only during relaxation of the excited structure. Mn2+ radiative transitions are not forced in the latter case, and slow Mn2+ luminescence decay is observed.

We performed spectroscopic investigations of a novel tris(1,3-bis(1,3-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)propane-1,3-dionato)(1,10-phenanthroline) holmium (III) complex. It was demonstrated that bonding the corresponding ligand environment to Ho3+ results in sensitization of the luminescence of the complex. The luminescence decay of the complex exhibits a biexponential behaviour. The short-lived component is attributed to the fluorescence of the ligand, whereas the long-lived component is connected with the Ho3+ emission. Using fluorescence lifetime imaging, it was shown that there is a single type of emission sites in the studied complex. Based on the results of the optical measurements, the energy diagram for the investigated Ho3+ complex was developed. It was shown that the energy transfer from the excited triplet level of the ligand environment to the 5F5 level of Ho3+ is responsible for the emission of the ion in the complex.