Synthesis and mechanoluminescent properties of submicro-sized Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ particles

In this work, submicro-sized Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ particles were synthesized via a coprecipitation method. When mechanical stimuli are applied, the submicro-sized Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ can exhibit intense greenish-yellow mechanoluminescence. Different from the bulk Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ synthesized by conventional solid-state method, the mechanoluminescence of the submicro-sized Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ exhibits a trap-dependent behavior. The distinct spectral characteristics between photoluminescence and mechanoluminescence further suggest that distorted Ce3+ sites could be generated under mechanical stimuli, and therefore the mechanoluminescent mechanisms of the submicro-sized Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ are revealed.