Right now, you are probably being illuminated by a photonic device. Whether it’s an overhead lamp or the screen of your laptop or phone, most modern light sources are based on light-emitting diode (LED) technology, which converts electric energy into photons. Improvements to LEDs — such as colours that are more intense and vivid, a wider colour palette, longer lifespans and streamlined production — are difficult to achieve using conventional materials. Now, Tan et al.1 and Yu et al.2 report LEDs that can address these issues using insulating nanoparticles that contain ions of lanthanides, which are the group of 14 chemical elements from lanthanum to ytterbium in the periodic table.
Nature 647, 594-596 (2025)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03586-4
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Competing Interests The author declares no competing interests.
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