An international team of scientists, including researchers from Poland, has developed a new material that emits light when exposed to friction, impact, heat and even ultrasound.
The breakthrough, according to Marcin Runowski from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań which took part in the study, could lead to advances in biomedical diagnostics, structural monitoring and next-generation sensors,
Runowski, a professor at the university’s Faculty of Chemistry, said the newly developed material is based on aluminium nitride doped with manganese ions and is capable of emitting light in several different ways.
"Light emission can be triggered by illumination, heating, or mechanical forces such as friction or impact. Moreover, after exposure, the material can continue to emit light for a certain period of time,” he said.
Researchers said one of the study's key achievements was demonstrating that the material also emits light when exposed to ultrasonic waves, allowing ultrasonic interactions to be imaged without making contact with the object being examined.
The technology could be used in the future to monitor stress in bridges and other structures, as well as in the development of advanced optical sensors and other non-contact detection systems.
The material is also resistant to high temperatures, mechanical damage and chemical agents. Researchers combined it with a flexible material, enabling it to visualise areas undergoing friction, stretching or ultrasonic activity.
According to the research team, the discovery has potential applications in biomedical diagnostics, structural health monitoring, next-generation optoelectronics, anti-counterfeiting technologies, and remote imaging and detection systems.
The findings, published in the journal Science Advances, are the result of a collaboration between researchers from Poland, China, Belgium and the United States.
The study involved scientists from the University of Gdańsk, the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Hangzhou City University, Ghent University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Shenzhen University and the University of North Dakota. (PAP)
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