Abstract: Luminescent yarns have unique technological attributes and stylish appearance, which have broad application prospects in the textile industry. Luminescent yarns generally use polyester, polyamide or polypropylene as the raw materials. Usually, rare earth long-lasting phosphor materials and nanolevel functional additives are added to the spinning solution to spin the luminescent yarns via the special spinning process. Rare earth complexes are most widely used for its highest luminous efficiency. The paper summarizes the overall development status and research significance of luminescent yarns, analyzes their structural characteristics, luminous principles and luminous properties, and finally summarizes its development prospects in household products, industrial textiles products, daily opparel & accessory products, etc.

Key words: luminescent yarn; rare earth complex; structural property; product development