Intense red mechanoluminescence from (ZnS)1-x(MnTe)x

Intense mechanoluminescent (ZnS)(1-x)(MnTe)(x) powder samples with x = 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 were prepared by simple Solid State Reaction method. All samples were polycrystalline with wurtzite structure. Mechanoluminescence (ML) and Photoluminescence (PL) were observed in all the samples in the red region peaking around 650 nm. The red emission is attributed to the presence of Te along with Mn. ML is attributed to the release of holes due to the stress on the phosphors which then recombine with metastable Mn2+ emitting light. The intensity of ML is found to be strongly dependent on both the impact pressure and composition. The maximum intensities in both ML and PL were observed in samples with x = 0.05. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.