A novel Yb2+ doped SrS long persistent luminescence phosphors

•Yb2+ doped SrS phosphor was synthesized for the first time.•The phosphors emit red light.•The PL excitation and emission spectra of SrS were investigated.•The long persistent properties of Yb2+ in SrS were investigated for the first time.•The photo-stimulated luminescence of Yb2+ in SrS were investigated for the first time.

In this work, a novel SrS: Yb2+ long persistent luminescence (LPL) phosphors were prepared by a solid state reaction in a reduce atmosphere. Meanwhile, the phosphors showed the characteristic of photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL). The photoluminescence (PL) properties, long afterglow curve as well as PSL of the as-prepared phosphors were systematically investigated. The results indicate that the emission spectrum covers from 550 nm to 700 nm with a maximum at 605 nm. When excited by 465 nm light as well as 980 nm LD, red LPL was observed in this phosphor. The red LPL and PSL suggest that SrS: Yb2+ has good prospect for application.