Intense visible light emission from stress-activated SrMgAl6O11:Eu

We have investigated deformation luminescence phenomena and the constituent phases of SrMgAl6O11:Eu. The deformation luminescence is clearly visible to the naked eye in air, and the luminescence intensity is the highest among the materials reported. Using x-ray diffraction the constituent phases of SrMgAl6O11:Eu are determined to be SrAl2O4, SrMgAl10O17, and MgAl2O4. The deformation luminescence center has been identified as the Eu2+ ion from the deformation and photoluminescence studies of the three-phase composite. The thermoluminescence glow curve of the composite indicates the trapping levels around room temperature. This result means that the three-phase structure of the composite influences the high deformation luminescence intensity.