Fluorescent and luminescent materials, such as
yttrium aluminum garnet
doped with different metal ions (rare earths or transition metals), have found applicability in various fields, from optoelectronics (i.e.: lighting systems, LCDs, CRTs, lasers) to aerospace (i.e: thermal barriers) and biotechnological applications (i.e.: fluorescence marker, contrast agent in medical imaging, imaging screens, drug delivery etc).