High-aluminum glass ceramic featuring both red emission and high hardness for deep-sea lighting devices

Deep-sea lighting provides the essential illumination required for scientific investigation, resource development, and underwater engineering. However, advanced lighting technologies that can withstand extreme hydrostatic pressure remain crucial challenges. In this study, one Cr 2 O 3 -doped high-alumina glass-ceramics that exhibits both high luminescent efficiency and superior hardness was developed and integrated with UV chips for deep-sea LED lighting. The melt quenching method was employed to incorporate different concentrations of Cr 2 O 3 into the high-alumina glass system. Besides, the effects of Cr 2 O 3 on the crystallization process and microcrystalline morphology of glasses were explored by using a variety of analytical techniques. Furthermore, spectroscopic analyses and molecular dynamics simulations elucidated the existence forms of each element in the glass system and verified the dual modification role of Cr 2 O 3 in restructuring the networks of high-alumina glass-ceramics. The transmittance spectra of parent glasses and glass-ceramics and the hardness of the glass-ceramic were evaluated by UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer and microhardness Vickers tester, respectively. The high luminescent efficiency (Photoluminescence Quantum Yield =38.1%) and exceptionally superior Vickers hardness (9.04 GPa) of the glass-ceramics demonstrate their potential for use in deep-sea LED lighting systems. Finally, a deep-sea LED lighting device was successfully fabricated and tested using the synthesized glass-ceramics. Overall, this study provides a new lighting strategy for deep-sea scientific research, resource development and underwater engineering development.