Title: Eco-Friendly Perovskite Materials with Near-Infrared Persistent Luminescence for Advanced Forest Monitoring
Research proposal No: 1.1.1.9/LZP/2/25/186
Duration: 01.02.2026.-31.01.2029.
Project Leader: Ph.D. Guna Doke, Institute of Solid State Physics University of Latvia (ISSP UL)
Total budget: 183 297.60 EUR
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding: 155 802.96 EUR
State budget funding: 18 329.76 EUR
ISSP UL budget: 9 164.88 EUR
Project description:
The research application is being implemented at the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia, which specializes in solid-state physics, materials science, and optical materials. The project aims to develop environmentally friendly, sunlight-excited Cr³⁺-activated perovskite materials with persistent luminescence in the near-infrared spectral region, intended for labelling young seedlings to enable remote monitoring. The project directly corresponds to the priority area of the Latvian Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3) “Smart Materials, Technologies and Engineering Systems”.
The main activities include the synthesis and structural/spectroscopic characterization (XRD, PL, TSL, EPR, etc.) of new MTiO₃ (M = Ca, Sr, Mg) perovskite materials, defect engineering, composition optimization, development and testing of an optical marker prototype, as well as preparation of a patent application. During the project, mobility to at least three foreign research centers and dissemination of results in the scientific and public space are planned.
The planned results include at least three scientific publications in Q1/Q2 journals, one popular science publication, international conference presentations, and a patentable optical marker prototype with high commercialization potential.
Keywords: persistent luminescence, perovskite, near-infrared radiation, optical materials, forest monitoring