Self-Recovery UV Mechanoluminescence Material from Garnet Structure and its Bactericidal Application

Deep ultraviolet (UV) mechanoluminescence (ML) materials hold broad application prospects in bright-field visualization detection, solid-blind imaging, and information storage due to their shorter emission wavelengths. However, current research on deep UV ML materials primarily focuses on trap control to suppress their reuse. Here, we enhance the deep UV ML of Gd 3+ ions by constructing a 4f-5d coupling between Pr 3+ ions and the 6 P 7/2 energy level of Gd 3+ ions in the wide-bandgap Lu 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 with a garnet structure. The results suggest that the deep UV ML in Lu 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 : Pr 3+ , Gd 3+ is trap-independent, and its self-recovery property originates from the continuous triboelectric charge transfer between polydimethylsiloxane and the ML particles. Sterilization experiments using deep UV ML against pathogenic E. coli highlight the potential of deep UV ML materials for continuous sterilization applications.