Harvesting light from ZnS:Mn:Eu/PVDF mechano-luminescent composite under mechanical impact for energy conversion application

Using a solid state reaction mechanism, ZnS:Mn:Eu, a mechano-luminescence material, is synthesised and characterised with X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL), and Mechano-luminescence (ML) analytical techniques. Using the blending method, a composite of ZnS:Mn:Eu and piezotronic Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is then created. During processing of the ZnS:Mn:Eu composition with PVDF, the weight ratio of PVDF is varied from 5% to 50%. The polymeric composite is then cast into thin films and capped with a water-resistant transparent Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer film for protection. For mechanoluminescence research, the author also uses a state-of-the-art, customised anodized aluminium (Al) cup-shaped fibre optic pigtailed assembly. This assembly contains the manufactured ML thin film and functions as an ML sensor. The obtained result demonstrates that 15 wt% of PVDF produces more intense ML emission than the other weight ratios. This research can serve as a stepping stone in the development of energy-efficient ML-based sensors for future advanced applications such as intelligent optical sensors, real-time pressure mapping systems, and information encryption techniques.