Intense green elastico-mechanoluminescence from KZn(PO3)3:Tb3+

Mechanoluminescent (ML) materials have important applications in the field of mechanical detection. To accelerate the application of ML materials, the expansion of ML materials is essential. Herein, a green ML phosphor KZn(PO3)(3):Tb3+ was prepared via a high temperature solid state reaction method. Tb3+ ions occupy the Zn2+ sites, and the defects are generated due to charge compensation, which can serve as the trap center for capturing carriers and are verified by thermoluminescence (TL). The flexible structure framework of KZn(PO3)(3) not only provides enough space for defects in the lattice, but also generates great strain energy when applied with forces. KZn(PO3)(3):Tb3+ shows a sensitive reaction to different mechanical forces, which indicates it a potential ML material for use in intelligent sensors.