Mechanical, spectral, and luminescence properties of ZnS:Mn doped PDMS

Zinc sulfide doped with manganese (ZnS:Mn) is one of the brightest triboluminescent materials known and has been studied for a variety of applications. The powder form of this material restricts its safe handling and utilization, which limits the range of applications that can take advantage of its unique properties. In this study, the tribo- and photo-luminescent properties as well as the mechanical properties of ZnS:Mn encapsulated in an inert and optically transparent elastomer – Sylgard 184, have been investigated and fully characterized. ZnS:Mn particles of 8.5 µm diameter were incorporated into the Sylgard 184 polymer matrix prior to the curing stage with increasing amounts targeting a final (mass) concentration of 5%, 15%, and 50%. Additionally, the effect of the ZnS:Mn particles on the overall surface properties of the encapsulating elastomer was investigated and reported here. It was observed that the triboluminescent emission from impact scales with phosphor concentration and was not affected by the encapsulating medium.