Enhanced mechanoluminescence of ZnS:Mn and red shift at low temperatures
Abstract
Manganese-doped zinc sulfide (ZnS: Mn) is one of the brightest mechanoluminescing materials. While its mechanoluminescing properties at room-temperature have been widely studied, its behavior at cryogenic temperatures remains underexplored. Here, we report mechanoluminescence measurements of ZnS: Mn at 77 K and compare the results with room-temperature behavior. A ∼200 μm thick layer of ZnS:Mn powder mixed in Sylgard-184 was coated onto a RTV655 disc of 25 mm diameter and 3 mm thickness. Two different configurations were tested. In one case (C1), the impact force was applied directly to the ZnS: Mn coating while in the second configuration (C2) the force was applied to the RTV655 side of the sample. Results show up to a fivefold increase in emission intensity at 77K compared to room temperature behavior and a noticeable red shift in the emission band. When testing under C1, the fast and slow decay times reduced from 129.6 ± 4 μs to 55.5 ± 5.7 μs and from 890.6 ± 150.1 μs to 290.9 ± 25.4 μs, respectively. In C2 the fast decay increased from 38.3 ± 1.7 μs to 82.2 ± 16.1 μs, and the slow decay increased from 318.3 ± 12.8 μs to 357.8 ± 40.6 μs. Under C1, the rise time did not show any temperature dependency. However, under C2, the rise time decreased with decrease in temperature. This study paves the way for a better understanding of temperature dependent mechanoluminescence of ZnS: Mn and designing sensing devices for testing under extreme conditions.
Publication Title
Optical Materials
Recommended Citation
Timsina, D., Allison, S., Hollerman, W., & Sabri, F. (2026). Enhanced mechanoluminescence of ZnS:Mn and red shift at low temperatures. Optical Materials, 174 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2026.117951
