Development of highly sensitive mechanoluminescent sensor aiming at small strain measurement

Abstract

This paper was focused on the elasticoluminescence (ELS) characteristics, especially a response to small strain (below 1000 μst), of mechanoluminescence (ML) sensor using strontium aluminate doped with small amount of europium (SrAl2O4:Eu) synthesized by different methods. By using nitrate decomposition method as a synthetic method of SrAl2O4:Eu, the response to small strain of the ML sensor was enhanced in comparison with using a conventional solid-state reaction method. Based on SEM observation and thermoluminescence (ThL) measurement, we proposed a hypothesis that the sensing characteristic of small strain affect the plate-like shape of SrAl2O4:Eu grain and/or shallower carrier trap levels formed by nitrate decomposition method.

Keywords

• Mechanoluminescence
• SrAl2O4:Eu
• small strain measurement