NIR emission of lanthanides for ultrasensitive luminescence manometry-Er3+-activated optical sensor of high pressure

Supersensitive visual pressure sensor based on the exciton luminescence of a perovskite material

Accurate, rapid, and remote detection of pressure, one of the fundamental physical parameters, is vital for scientific, industrial, and daily life purposes. However, due to the limited sensitivity of luminescent manometers, the optical pressure monitoring has been applied mainly in scientific studies. Here, we developed the first supersensitive optical pressure sensor based on the exciton-type luminescence of the Bi3+-doped, double perovskite material Cs2Ag0.6Na0.4InCl6. The designed luminescent manometer exhibits an extremely high sensitivity, i.e. dλ/dp = 112 nm GPa-1. It also allows multi-parameter sensing, using both blue-shift and rarely observed band narrowing with pressure. Importantly, this material has small temperature dependence for the manometric parameter used, i.e. spectral shift, allowing detection under extreme pressure and temperature conditions. The developed sensor operates in the visible range, and its emission shifts from orange to blue with pressure. This approach allowed us to demonstrate the real-world application of this sensor in detecting small changes in pressure with a designed uniaxial pressure device, with unprecedented resolution of the order of a few bars, demonstrating the technological potential of this sensor for remote, online monitoring of cracks and strains in heavy construction facilities.

Pressure-Induced Remarkable Spectral Red-Shift in Mn2+ -Activated NaY9 (SiO4 )6 O2 Red-Emitting Phosphors for High-Sensitive Optical Manometry

To settle the low sensitivity of luminescent manometers, the Mn2+ -activated NaY9 (SiO4 )6 O2 red-emitting phosphors with splendid pressure sensing performances are developed. Excited by 408 nm, the resulting products emit bright red emission originating from 4 T1 (4 G) → 6 A1 transition of Mn2+ , in which the optimal concentration of the activator ion is ≈1 mol%. Moreover, the admirable thermal stability of the developed phosphors is studied and confirmed by the temperature-dependent emission spectra, based on which the activation energy is derived to be 0.275 eV. By analyzing the pressure-dependent Raman spectra, the structural stability of the synthesized compounds at extreme conditions is verified. Furthermore, the designed phosphors exhibit remarkable spectral red-shift at elevated pressure. Especially, as pressure increases from 0.75 to 7.16 GPa, the emission band centroid shifts from 617.2 to 663.4 nm, resulting in a high sensitivity (dλ/dP) of 7.00 nm GPa-1 , whereas the full width at half maximum (FWHM) increases from 83.0 to 110.6 nm, leading to the ultra-high sensitivity (dFWHM/dP) of 10.13 nm GPa-1 . These achievements manifest that the designed red-emitting phosphors are appropriate for ultrasensitive optical manometry. More importantly, the developed manometer is a current global leader in sensitivity, when operating in the band-width mode, that is, FWHM.

Mechanoluminescence and Photoluminescence Heterojunction for Superior Multimode Sensing Platform of Friction, Force, Pressure, and Temperature in Fibers and 3D-Printed Polymers

Endowing a single material with various types of luminescence, that is, exhibiting a simultaneous optical response to different stimuli, is vital in various fields. A photoluminescence (PL)- and mechanoluminescence (ML)-based multifunctional sensing platform is built by combining heterojunctioned ZnS/CaZnOS:Mn2+ mechano-photonic materials using a 3D-printing technique and fiber spinning. ML-active particles are embedded in micrometer-sized cellulose fibers for flexible optical devices capable of emitting light driven by mechanical force. Individually modified 3D-printed hard units that exhibit intense ML in response to mechanical deformation, such as impact and friction, are also fabricated. Importantly, they also allow low-pressure sensing up to ≈100 bar, a range previously inaccessible by any other optical sensing technique. Moreover, the developed optical manometer based on the PL of the materials demonstrates a superior high-pressure sensitivity of ≈6.20 nm GPa-1 . Using this sensing platform, four modes of temperature detection can be achieved: excitation-band spectral shifts, emission-band spectral shifts, bandwidth broadening, and lifetime shortening. This work supports the possibility of mass production of ML-active mechanical and optoelectronic parts integrated with scientific and industrial tools and apparatus.

Evolution of the full energy structure of Mn4+ in fluoride phosphors under high pressure conditions

This paper analyzes the photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra of fluoride phosphors doped with Mn⁴⁺: KNaSiF₆:Mn⁴⁺, Rb₂GeF₆:Mn⁴⁺, and Na₃HTiF₈:Mn⁴⁺ under high pressure conditions. From the optical spectra, the pressure-dependent energies of optically active ⁴T₂, ⁴T₁, and ²E crystal field subterms of Mn⁴⁺ have been determined in the 0-30 GPa pressure range. A strong blueshift of the ⁴T₂ and ⁴T₁ subterms was found, as expected from the Tanabe-Sugano diagram for Mn⁴⁺ (d³). At the same time, the ²E emitting state exhibited a redshift under pressure - an effect opposite to the prediction of the Tanabe-Sugano diagram. This is a manifestation of the pressure-driven nephelauxetic effect, governed by pressure induced changes of Racah parameters, which demonstrates the necessity of taking into account the Racah parameters for a correct description of Mn⁴⁺ emission under pressure. The high pressure experimental data allowed to determine the pressure dependence of crystal field strength parameter Dq and Racah parameters B and C. Finally, obtaining the pressure dependence of Dq and Racah parameters allowed to calculate the full energy structure of the d³ configuration of Mn⁴⁺ in KNaSiF₆, Rb₂GeF₆, and Na₃HTiF₈ in the pressure range of 0-30 GPa. The calculations reproduced the redshift of the ²E emitting state under pressure, as well as gave the pressure shift direction and magnitude for all crystal field subterms of Mn⁴⁺ up to 50 000 cm^-1 (i.e. the equivalent of the Tanabe-Sugano diagram for high-pressure experiments). The approach presented in this paper can be easily extended for calculating the energy structure of materials doped with isoelectronic Cr³⁺ as well as other transition metal ions.

A dual-ratiometric optical thermometry based on Sr2LaF7:Er3+ crystal-implanted pliable fibers

Sr2(La1-xErx)F7/polyacrylonitrile composite fibers with special pliability and excellent crystal dispersibility have been fabricated, which provide the smaller size and appropriate temperature sensitivity. Up-conversion emission shows quadratic dependence of the photoluminescence...