Self‐Charging Persistent Mechanoluminescence with Mechanics Storage and Visualization Activities

Abstract

Persistent mechanoluminescence (ML) with long lifetime is highly required to break the limits of the transient emitting behavior under mechanics stimuli. However, the existing materials with persistent ML are completely trap‐controlled, and a pre‐irradiation is required, which severely hinders the practical applications. In this work, a novel type of ML, self‐charging persistent ML, is created by compositing the Sr3Al2O5Cl2:Dy3+ (SAOCD) powders into flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix. With no need for any pre‐irradiation, the as‐fabricated SAOCD/PDMS elastomer could exhibit intense and persistent ML under mechanics stimuli directly, which greatly facilitates its applications in mechanics lighting, displaying, imaging, and visualization. By investigating the matrix effects as well as the thermoluminescence, cathodoluminescence, and triboelectricity properties, the interfacial triboelectrification‐induced electron bombardment processes are demonstrated to be responsible for the self‐charged energy in SAOCD under mechanics stimuli. Based on the unique self‐charging processes, the SAOCD/PDMS further exhibits mechanics storage and visualized reading activities, which brings novel ideas and approaches to deal with the mechanics‐related problems in the fields of mechanical engineering, bioengineering, and artificial intelligence.

Smart Mechanoluminescent Phosphors: A Review of Strontium‐Aluminate‐Based Materials, Properties, and Their Advanced Application Technologies

“…In addition, SAOE's ML has characteristic green light, compounding with ML materials having different colors, such as ZnS:Mn or CaZnOS:Mn (orange‐red light) or other stress‐induced luminescent materials will render promising applications. [ 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , 133 , 134 ] ML materials can also be used as an emergency lighting energy source (Figure 49a–d ). In sports training, it can be used in shoes (Figure 49e,f ), art of fencing (Figure 49g ), diving, [ 135 ] skating (Figure 49h ), ball sports such as squash, ping pong (Figure 49i ), and soccer (Figure 49j ) to display points at which balls strike a surface or goal and used in fencing to visualize the point of a sword in order to improve judgment of the fencing area to calculate the score.…”

Recyclable Time–Temperature Indicator Enabled by Light Storage in Particles

“…[14] Persistent luminescence (PersL) is a unique optical phenomenon in which charge carriers are captured by traps under irradiation and the trapped carriers are then released gradually under thermal activation to give long-lasting emissions. [15][16][17] Due to the outstanding light storage ability and delayed photon emission, PersL materials have aroused great interest in scientific research, and have been established for various applications in security signs, [18][19][20][21] in vivo bioimaging, [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] optical information storage, [30][31][32][33] X-ray luminescence imaging, [34][35][36][37] and optical anticounterfeiting. [38][39][40] Previous studies clearly reveal that the release rate of trapped carriers in PersL materials is determined by both the trap depth and the working temperature.…”

High charge carrier storage capacity and wide range X-rays to infrared photon sensing in LiLuGeO4:Bi3+,Ln3+ (Ln = Pr, Tb, or Dy) for anti-counterfeiting and information storage applications

“…[10][11][12] Because of this feature, storage phosphors have many promising applications in X-ray computed tomography (CT), 13 dosimeters for radiation detection, [14][15][16] information storage, 17,18 anti-counterfeiting, 19 and even exploring mechanoluminescence materials for smart compression force sensing. 12,[20][21][22] There is a request to develop new afterglow and storage phosphors for exploring new applications such as advanced anti-counterfeiting and information storage. 6,23 In a storage phosphor, there are electron and hole-trapping centers that can temporarily store the free charge carriers.…”