Transition metal doped smart glass with pressure and temperature sensitive luminescence

Abstract

The development of future transparent intelligent systems demands smart glass with multifunctional sensing capabilities. Here, the realization of a smart glass with dual temperature and pressure sensing function by using Mn2+-doped nanostructured gallate glass for the first time is reported. The material exhibits exceptional temperature response in the range of 323–523 K and the maximal relative temperature sensitivity reaches as high as 2.51% K−1 at 523 K. The material is also sensitive to the pressure fluctuation and displays bright green pressure-induced luminescence. A combination of structural and optical analysis and theoretical calculation reveals that the local dopant orientation in nanodomain inside glass contributes to the previously unrealized sensing behavior. The critical factors governing the sensing performance are identified and the cooperative effects between the local chemical bonding and domain size contribute greatly to the remarkable enhancement of the sensitivity. The results highlight that the precise control over the doping process offers a great opportunity to design new smart glass.