Alkaline‐Earth‐Metal‐Ions Blending Enhanced Self‐Activated and Bi3+‐Activated Mechanoluminescence from Ca1‐xBaxZnOS

Abstract The self‐activated mechanoluminescence (ML) of oxysulfides MZnOS (M = Ca, Sr, Ba) is very weak, and bright ML from these hosts is usually achieved with activator‐doping strategy. Herein, a promising alkaline‐earth‐metal‐ion blending strategy, instead of activator doping, is proposed to achieve intense and self‐activated ML from MZnOS. Upon partially substituting the Ca 2+ of CaZnOS with Ba 2+ and vice versa, intense and eye‐visible ML is achieved via exerting a small mechanical stimulus of 2 N onto the obtained Ca 1‐x Ba x ZnOS (0 < x < 1). The luminescence center for ML of Ca 1‐x Ba x ZnOS is intrinsic oxygen vacancy, so that Ca 1‐x Ba x ZnOS can give off efficient and self‐activated ML. Under optimum conditions, the maximum ML emission of Ca 0.84 Ba 0.16 ZnOS is about 50‐folds and 170‐folds to that of CaZnOS and BaZnOS, respectively. Promisingly, Bi 3+ can be incorporated into the lattice of Ca 1‐x Ba x ZnOS, transferring ML center from the oxygen defects of Ca 1‐x Ba x ZnOS to the activator of Ca 0.96‐x Ba x ZnOS:Bi 0.04 , and eventually enable further enhanced ML by about twofolds. This alkaline‐earth‐metal‐ion blending strategy can also enhance Bi 3+ ‐activated ML from M 0.96 ZnOS:Bi 0.04 , the maximum emission for ML of Ca 0.80 Ba 0.16 ZnOS:Bi 0.04 is 36‐folds and 38 folds to that of Ca 0.96 ZnOS:Bi 0.04 and Ba 0.96 ZnOS:Bi 0.04 , respectively. This work opens an avenue to develop new ML hosts and luminophores with efficient emission.