Near‐infrared mechanoluminescence sensor: A new method for on‐site infrastructure detection

Abstract Near‐infrared mechanoluminescence is a phenomenon that produces high penetrating near‐infrared light under external stimulation. Near‐infrared light coincides with the biological window, lower optical loss, and the fact that the mechanoluminescence material is a medium that converts mechanical energy into light energy. The near‐infrared mechanoluminescence material has potential application prospects in the fields of biological imaging, medical diagnosis, and monitoring of building materials. In this article, we report on a perovskite‐type Sr3Sn2O7:Nd3+ near‐infrared mechanoluminescence material, and its peaks locate in the first near‐infrared window (800–1000 nm) and the second near‐infrared window (1080, 1350 nm), respectively. Under the condition of pre‐sintering with Li2CO3 as flux, the best sintering conditions are obtained, and the luminescence of material is in perfect agreement with the applied mechanical stress. In addition, a near‐infrared mechanoluminescence sensor is proposed to solve the problem of building damage and timely maintenance.