Color Manipulation of Intense Multiluminescence from CaZnOS:Mn2+ by Mn2+ Concentration Effect

Color manipulation of intense multiluminescence from CaZnOS:Mn2+ has been realized by adjusting Mn2+ concentration. Not only the photoluminescence (PL) of Mn2+ emission from 4T1(4G) to 6A1(6S) shows a red shift from yellow to red with increasing Mn2+ concentration, which is in contrast to the fixed PL emission reported by Hintzen et al. (Chem. Mater., 2009), but also mechanoluminescence (ML) and cathodoluminescence (CL) have a similar variation. More attractively, the brightness of multiluminescence is surprisingly intense for all the CaZnOS:Mn2+ with a large-scale Mn2+ doping (0.1–10 mol %). Based on the investigation of crystal field, various spectral results, and PL lifetimes, the red-shift mechanism of multiluminescence reported here has been proposed to arise from the exchange interaction effect of Mn2+ pairs at higher concentrations. In addition to correcting the previous misunderstanding on the emission of CaZnOS:Mn2+, these findings extend the tunable emission window, opening up new opportunities in multifunctional applications of PL, ML, and CL involving multicolor light sources, displays, and stress imaging, especially providing a novel resolution to design ML colors.