Recent Advances in Mechanoluminescence of Doped Zinc Sulfides

Abstract Mechanoluminescence (ML) is the light generation of a material under mechanical stimuli. For more than 400 years, many compounds including inorganic and organic materials present this phenomenon. The general mechanism for the ML emission is the stress‐induced electrification effect combined with the piezoelectric field that lead to trapping and detrapping of the charge carriers. However, an in‐depth investigation and research are required to understand and hypothesize the ML mechanisms and optimum design and synthesis methods for better ML properties. Among the most common materials possessing this phenomenon is the zinc sulfide (ZnS) compounds that show high luminescence intensity and reproducibility. Such properties make them best candidates to be used in potential applications such as light and display devices, stress sensors, and human health monitoring devices. Therefore, this minireview focuses on the recent development and progress in doped ZnS ML compounds, including mechanism, design and synthesis, and the practical applications of such materials.