Microstrain-Stimulated Elastico-Mechanoluminescence with Dual-Mode Stress Sensing.

Abstract

Elastico-mechanoluminescence technology has shown significant application prospects in stress sensing, artificial skin, remote interaction, and other research areas. Its progress mainly lies in realizing stress visualization and 2D or even 3D stress-sensing effects using a passive sensing mode. However, the widespread promotion of mechanoluminescence (ML) technology is hindered by issues such as high stress or strain thresholds and a single sensing mode based on luminous intensity. In this study, a highly efficient green-emitting ML with dual-mode stress-sensing characteristics driven by microscale strain is developed using LiTaO3:Tb3+. In addition to single-mode sensing based on the luminous intensity, the self-defined parameter (Q) is also introduced as a dual-mode factor for sensing the stress velocity. Impressively, the fabricated LiTaO3:Tb3+ film is capable of generating discernible ML signals even when supplied with strains as low as 500 µst. This is the current minimum strain value that can drive green-emitting ML. This study offers an ideal photonic platform for exploring the potential applications of rare-earth-doped elastico-ML materials in remote interaction devices, high-precision stress sensors, and single-molecule biological imaging.