Abstract: Mechanoluminescence is a type of luminescence caused by the application of mechanical energy to solids. In this paper, powder of BaZrSi₃O₉ is synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction. Then thermoluminescence and mechanoluminescent properties are studied. Phase and crystal structure of the obtained materials can be determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Hence photoluminescent spectrum and mechanoluminescent measurement show that the emission peak is about 435 nm. The mechanoluminescence results present that the intensities of samples are well dependent on the stress, indicating that these mechanoluninescent materials can be potentially used as sensors to detect the dynamic visualization of stress distribution of an object. The results also suggest that the trap and the worse symmetry of crystal structure are responsible for the mechanoluninescent intensity of BaZrSi₃O₉.

Key words: mechanoluminescence; silicate phosphors; traps