I-Corps: Quasi-Persistent Luminescent Material

University Of Louisiana At Lafayette, Lafayette LA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of forms of tracer ammunition and a new kind of shooting range. The proposed technology is designed to use the “cold light” of luminescence to provide the desirable “trace effect” without the use of chemically hazardous and energetic materials that are both difficult to manufacture and are primary contributors to human-started wildfires. More broadly, the proposed technology may be used to replace incandescent forms of lighting where the necessary duration of light is in the timeframe of single-digit seconds. The most immediate commercial opportunity is in ammunition, and other possibilities include fireworks with incendiary materials and new forms of safety lighting. This I-Corps project is based on the development of quasi-persistent luminescent material. The proposed technology provides new forms of persistent luminescent phosphor (not phosphorous) "glow-in-the-dark" materials. Whereas short duration emission lifetime (microseconds, milliseconds) phosphors are common and long duration emission lifetime phosphors are common (many minutes, hours), "short-duration persistent" emission lifetime phosphors (single-digit seconds, 10-20 seconds) have not yet been developed. The development of short duration persistent luminescence may serve to further the understanding of photonically stimulated electron excitation, as well as the distribution of electron trap energies required for short duration emission. The design of these short duration persistent luminescent materials may leverage advances in materials science development, including new modeling techniques, crystal structure designs, and novel dopant chemistries. The proposed persistent luminescent materials may stimulate research in luminescence emission lifetimes and may lead to the development of new crystal formulations to serve as the basis for follow-on photonics research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.