Mechanoluminescence properties of Mn2+-doped BaZnOS phosphor

Abstract

In this study, a novel Mn²⁺-doped wide band gap semiconductor, BaZnOS, demonstrates intense elastico-mechanoluminescence (EML) under pressure and friction, and the intensity of emission peaks is proportional to the applied compressive stress. Besides, orange-to-red EML emission peaks (586, 610 nm) were observed after application of different mechanical stimuli, which differs from the photoluminescence (PL) peak, which is fixed at 634 nm. The special phenomenon indicates that BaZnOS:Mn²⁺ could be employed as a stress sensor that not only records the stress magnitude and distribution, but also identifies the stress type. The novel variational EML property, originating from different mechanical stimuli, indicates a new view for exploiting PL and EML multicolor applications.