Incorporating strongly triboluminescent europium dibenzoylmethide triethylammonium into simple polymers

As mankind continues to extend technological boundaries, sensors must be improved in order to keep pace. The current problem that engineers and scientists face is how to actively monitor structures for damage. One possible method is to embed a triboluminescent material into a composite structure. Nearby sensors would monitor these structures for structural failure or impacts. This paper reports on recently completed research that incorporated the strongly triboluminescent europium dibenzoylmethide triethylammonium (europium tetrakis) into a selection of polymers, such as poly(methyl methacrylate). Additional work was completed to determine if europium tetrakis could be mixed with Cytoseal 60 and 280 to form a durable triboluminescent polymer for small-area sensors. Using a custom-built drop tower, the triboluminescent light yield and decay times was measured for the newly created triboluminescent polymers.